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