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) Damage Control - combats negativity/bad publicity/rumours Power - elevates personal authority and autonomy Networks - fosters connections, collaborations and discussions Self-awareness - clarifies focus & goals Skills - exhibits your expertise and leadership Word of Mouth - build referrals and buzz Differentiation - make you stand out from the crowd Fulfillment - creates a happier you (e.g. personal satisfaction, recognition, ego) Exposure - enhances awareness and presence Revenues - creates wealth, directly or indirectly Leverage - benefits employer/important stakeholders Reputation - builds trust and credibility 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): IT/Technology Entrepreneurs/Small Business Owners Senior Directors/Managers Sales Marketing Finance Customer Service Human Resources Supply Chain/Procurement Legal/Regulatory CEO Operations/Production Executives/CxOs Junior Managers/Staff Prospective/New Hires Other (please specify): Question Title * 8. What are the key success factors of a great personal brand? (max. three choices): Network - wide/deep/multi-channel presence and connections Appearance - style/tone/first impressions support personal brand Commitment - persistence/stick-to-it-ness in personal brand efforts Content - interesting/provocative/widely shared media Purpose - noble/higher-order vision/values behind personal brand Credibility - substance/track record to support personal brand Passion - enthusiastic, infectious delivery of personal brand Clarity - coherent/understandable personal brand promise Distinctive - memorable, differentiated personal brand Authenticity - genuineness/transparency of personal brand Affinity - likeable/trustworthy/positive image and perception Other (please specify) Question Title * 9. What are best media/content tools to promote a personal brand? (max. three choices): Articles/Guest Contributions to Media Partners Email Newsletter Video/Photo Sharing Offline Tools (e.g. business cards/appearance/giveaways) Authoring Book Association membership/involvement Presentations/Speaking Opportunities Social Media/Networks Collaborative Forums/Wikis/Q&As SEO/Links Blog Direct Outreach to Influencers Personal Website Media Appearances Offline Networking Podcast/Webinars/Webcast Awards/third party recognition Other (please specify): Question Title * 10. What are the most frowned upon/negative aspects of personal branding? (max three choices): Lacking authenticity/fakery Tone wrong - (e.g. too serious/too casual) Boring - does not provoke interest/provocation Absorbed - solely in it for themselves Sameness - looks/feels like everybody else Erratic - no consistency of focus/tone Shameless/over self-promotion Too much time spent on themselves vs. bigger purpose Valueless - not enhancing follower/fan's lives Lazy - not willing to put in time and effort Absence of credibility/substance Out of sync with employer/partner brand(s) Unethical behaviours - (e.g. spamming/backstabbing) 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 LinkedIn 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 Vine 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 Slideshare 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 Quora 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 Snapchat 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 Twitter 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): Younger generations driving more open, social culture Ability to monetize personal brand Rise of freelancing/free agent jobs helped by personal brand reputation Increased globalization Organizational acceptance of strong personal brands Entrepreneurship as an aspirational career focus Enhanced ability to measure personal brand appeal Ease in building/scaling large personal brand audiences Enhanced technology/limitless connectivity 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
