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 Word of Mouth - build referrals and buzz Self-awareness - clarifies focus & goals Networks - fosters connections, collaborations and discussions Differentiation - make you stand out from the crowd Power - elevates personal authority and autonomy Exposure - enhances awareness and presence Leverage - benefits employer/important stakeholders Fulfillment - creates a happier you (e.g. personal satisfaction, recognition, ego) Reputation - builds trust and credibility Damage Control - combats negativity/bad publicity/rumours Skills - exhibits your expertise and leadership 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 Sales Operations/Production IT/Technology Executives/CxOs Junior Managers/Staff Entrepreneurs/Small Business Owners Prospective/New Hires Human Resources Supply Chain/Procurement Finance Legal/Regulatory Customer Service Marketing Senior Directors/Managers Other (please specify): Question Title * 8. What are the key success factors of a great personal brand? (max. three choices): Authenticity - genuineness/transparency of personal brand Commitment - persistence/stick-to-it-ness in personal brand efforts Purpose - noble/higher-order vision/values behind personal brand Clarity - coherent/understandable personal brand promise Credibility - substance/track record to support personal brand Distinctive - memorable, differentiated personal brand Content - interesting/provocative/widely shared media Passion - enthusiastic, infectious delivery of personal brand Network - wide/deep/multi-channel presence and connections Affinity - likeable/trustworthy/positive image and perception Appearance - style/tone/first impressions support personal brand Other (please specify) Question Title * 9. What are best media/content tools to promote a personal brand? (max. three choices): Association membership/involvement Offline Networking Blog Media Appearances Offline Tools (e.g. business cards/appearance/giveaways) Video/Photo Sharing Articles/Guest Contributions to Media Partners Authoring Book Social Media/Networks Presentations/Speaking Opportunities SEO/Links Podcast/Webinars/Webcast Direct Outreach to Influencers Email Newsletter Collaborative Forums/Wikis/Q&As Awards/third party recognition Personal Website Other (please specify): Question Title * 10. What are the most frowned upon/negative aspects of personal branding? (max three choices): Unethical behaviours - (e.g. spamming/backstabbing) Tone wrong - (e.g. too serious/too casual) Erratic - no consistency of focus/tone Sameness - looks/feels like everybody else Lacking authenticity/fakery Absence of credibility/substance Lazy - not willing to put in time and effort Valueless - not enhancing follower/fan's lives Absorbed - solely in it for themselves Boring - does not provoke interest/provocation Shameless/over self-promotion Out of sync with employer/partner brand(s) Too much time spent on themselves vs. bigger purpose 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 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 Pinterest 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 Facebook 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 Medium N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Snapchat 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 Ease in building/scaling large personal brand audiences Organizational acceptance of strong personal brands Entrepreneurship as an aspirational career focus Enhanced technology/limitless connectivity Increased globalization Ability to monetize personal brand Enhanced ability to measure personal brand appeal Younger generations driving more open, social culture 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
