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