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