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