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