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