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