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) Fulfillment - creates a happier you (e.g. personal satisfaction, recognition, ego) Networks - fosters connections, collaborations and discussions Revenues - creates wealth, directly or indirectly Self-awareness - clarifies focus & goals Damage Control - combats negativity/bad publicity/rumours Exposure - enhances awareness and presence Differentiation - make you stand out from the crowd Leverage - benefits employer/important stakeholders Power - elevates personal authority and autonomy Reputation - builds trust and credibility Skills - exhibits your expertise and leadership Word of Mouth - build referrals and buzz 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 Legal/Regulatory Marketing Executives/CxOs Junior Managers/Staff Sales Customer Service CEO Operations/Production Supply Chain/Procurement Finance Senior Directors/Managers Prospective/New Hires Human Resources Other (please specify): Question Title * 8. What are the key success factors of a great personal brand? (max. three choices): Distinctive - memorable, differentiated personal brand Affinity - likeable/trustworthy/positive image and perception Commitment - persistence/stick-to-it-ness in personal brand efforts Clarity - coherent/understandable personal brand promise Appearance - style/tone/first impressions support personal brand Credibility - substance/track record to support personal brand Network - wide/deep/multi-channel presence and connections Authenticity - genuineness/transparency of personal brand Purpose - noble/higher-order vision/values behind personal brand Content - interesting/provocative/widely shared media Passion - enthusiastic, infectious delivery of personal brand Other (please specify) Question Title * 9. What are best media/content tools to promote a personal brand? (max. three choices): SEO/Links Articles/Guest Contributions to Media Partners Social Media/Networks Blog Offline Tools (e.g. business cards/appearance/giveaways) Association membership/involvement Collaborative Forums/Wikis/Q&As Authoring Book Podcast/Webinars/Webcast Presentations/Speaking Opportunities Personal Website Offline Networking Direct Outreach to Influencers Email Newsletter Media Appearances Video/Photo Sharing Awards/third party recognition Other (please specify): Question Title * 10. What are the most frowned upon/negative aspects of personal branding? (max three choices): Absorbed - solely in it for themselves Too much time spent on themselves vs. bigger purpose Boring - does not provoke interest/provocation Shameless/over self-promotion Absence of credibility/substance Tone wrong - (e.g. too serious/too casual) Erratic - no consistency of focus/tone Lacking authenticity/fakery Sameness - looks/feels like everybody else Unethical behaviours - (e.g. spamming/backstabbing) Out of sync with employer/partner brand(s) Lazy - not willing to put in time and effort Valueless - not enhancing follower/fan's lives 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 Vine 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 Quora 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 Twitter 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 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 Facebook N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Pinterest 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): Rise of freelancing/free agent jobs helped by personal brand reputation Ability to monetize personal brand Entrepreneurship as an aspirational career focus Younger generations driving more open, social culture Increased globalization Enhanced ability to measure personal brand appeal Organizational acceptance of strong personal brands 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
