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