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