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