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