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