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