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