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