The 2016 Personal Branding Survey Pulsecheck Questions (* - represents optional areas) Question Title * 1. In your opinion, how important is personal branding/reputation management to business & career success? Very Important Somewhat important Neutral Somewhat Unimportant Very Unimportant Reasons Why:* Question Title * 2. Has "personal branding/reputation management" increased in importance over the last 5 years? Yes, it's a lot more important About the same importance as before No, it's a lot less important Why/Why Not?:* Question Title * 3. Are you comfortable with the term "Personal Branding"? Yes, that's what people need/should build No, people shouldn't be brands/should just be themselves N/A, don't have a strong opinion either way Why/Why Not? Alternative terms?:* Question Title * 4. Do employers value staff with strong personal brands? Absolutely, they consider them essential Consider somewhat important Neutral, doesn't really factor into employee value Consider somewhat unimportant Consider no value, potentially damaging Why/Why Not?:* Question Title * 5. How happy are you with your own personal brand right now? Very Happy Somewhat Happy Neutral Somewhat Unhappy Very Unhappy Why/Why Not?:* Question Title * 6. What are the top three reasons to invest in your personal brand? (maximum three choices) Power - elevates personal authority and autonomy Exposure - enhances awareness and presence Networks - fosters connections, collaborations and discussions Self-awareness - clarifies focus & goals Fulfillment - creates a happier you (e.g. personal satisfaction, recognition, ego) Damage Control - combats negativity/bad publicity/rumours Reputation - builds trust and credibility Leverage - benefits employer/important stakeholders Differentiation - make you stand out from the crowd Word of Mouth - build referrals and buzz Skills - exhibits your expertise and leadership Revenues - creates wealth, directly or indirectly Other (please specify): Question Title * 7. Within a business setting, which type of employee stands to gain the most from strong personal branding? (max. three choices): Executives/CxOs Junior Managers/Staff Prospective/New Hires CEO Senior Directors/Managers Entrepreneurs/Small Business Owners Marketing Customer Service Human Resources Supply Chain/Procurement Legal/Regulatory IT/Technology Finance Operations/Production Sales Other (please specify): Question Title * 8. What are the key success factors of a great personal brand? (max. three choices): Affinity - likeable/trustworthy/positive image and perception Content - interesting/provocative/widely shared media Passion - enthusiastic, infectious delivery of personal brand Commitment - persistence/stick-to-it-ness in personal brand efforts Credibility - substance/track record to support personal brand Network - wide/deep/multi-channel presence and connections Clarity - coherent/understandable personal brand promise Appearance - style/tone/first impressions support personal brand Distinctive - memorable, differentiated personal brand Purpose - noble/higher-order vision/values behind personal brand Authenticity - genuineness/transparency of personal brand Other (please specify) Question Title * 9. What are best media/content tools to promote a personal brand? (max. three choices): Video/Photo Sharing Personal Website Blog Offline Tools (e.g. business cards/appearance/giveaways) SEO/Links Articles/Guest Contributions to Media Partners Presentations/Speaking Opportunities Association membership/involvement Media Appearances Authoring Book Offline Networking Direct Outreach to Influencers Social Media/Networks Email Newsletter Collaborative Forums/Wikis/Q&As Awards/third party recognition Podcast/Webinars/Webcast Other (please specify): Question Title * 10. What are the most frowned upon/negative aspects of personal branding? (max three choices): Lazy - not willing to put in time and effort Shameless/over self-promotion Boring - does not provoke interest/provocation Too much time spent on themselves vs. bigger purpose Absence of credibility/substance Valueless - not enhancing follower/fan's lives Erratic - no consistency of focus/tone Lacking authenticity/fakery Sameness - looks/feels like everybody else Absorbed - solely in it for themselves Tone wrong - (e.g. too serious/too casual) Unethical behaviours - (e.g. spamming/backstabbing) Out of sync with employer/partner brand(s) Other (please specify): Question Title * 11. Within social media, rank the following websites/platforms for building your personal brand importance (1 being highest importance): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Quora N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Facebook N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Medium N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A LinkedIn N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Pinterest N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Twitter N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Youtube N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Vine N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Snapchat N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Wikipedia N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Slideshare N/A Question Title * 12. Think fast, who do you immediate think of as (and why, if you have a reason): A "great" personal brand A "horrible" personal brand Question Title * 13. What forces may drive the rise of "personal branding" the most in the future: (max three answers): Organizational acceptance of strong personal brands Increased globalization Entrepreneurship as an aspirational career focus Ability to monetize personal brand Rise of freelancing/free agent jobs helped by personal brand reputation Younger generations driving more open, social culture Ease in building/scaling large personal brand audiences Enhanced technology/limitless connectivity Enhanced ability to measure personal brand appeal Other (please specify):* Question Title * 14. Will you be investing more time/effort/resources into your personal brand over the next five years: Yes, a lot more Yes, a little more About the same as I do now No, a little less No, a lot less Why/why not?:* Question Title * 15. What is the best habit you have seen/used for building a personal Brand? * Question Title * 16. Your Contact Details: Name Email Twitter Done
