…At least according to me! I stumbled upon tons and tons of Facebook fan page designs for some of the most recognized and creative brands of our time. Check them out below and let us know if there are any that you like as well or any that you want us to know about!

Red Bull

Smashing Magazine

Inspired Magazine

Livescribe

Blackberry

Pretty cool huh?Have you guys run across any enticing brand pages on Facebook? Do share!

The votes are in for the 2011 YouTube Super Bowl Ad Blitz competition! Did your favorite ad win?

Well let’s find out…..drum roll please!

Click below for the winner of the Super Bowl Ad Blitz commercial as well as the runners up!

SUPER BOWL AD BLITZ WINNER!

I know most people get excited when the Super Bowl comes around every year, mainly for the competition and the game itself. But for me, I get the most amped by the advertisements that will premier during the popular televised event. This year was no exception, especially after last year’s amusing and highly entertaining ad lineup. I anticipated a just-as-strong, if not stronger, lineup this year. So the question is, what was the best advertisement during the telecast? Was it any of the numerous and comical Doritos commercials? Did E -Trade keep us entertained while creating enough controversy again? Or did Chrysler take the crown with their ultra smooth and clever ads?

With that being said, Youtube has once again created the ad blitz contest gallery of Super Bowl ads that premiered the night of the big game. They’re asking for users to watch the ads and vote on their favorite one by February 14, 2011. According to the site, “The winning ad will receive ultimate video glory with YouTube homepage recognition on Feb 19th”. Voting will close at exactly 11:59 pm on the night of Feb. 14th so hurry and cast your vote!

I can’t wait to see which one will come out on top. I voted, in case you were wondering, and no I will not share who I voted for until the voting is closed and that’s that! I’d rather not influence anyone’s decision. Ha!

Go to the site below, cast your vote, and stay tuned to Feb. 19th to see which commercial made the Number 1 spot! We’ll make a post to announce the winner!

In the meantime, leave us a comment and share with us who you voted for. We love hearing  your input!

http://www.youtube.com/user/adblitz?feature=ticker

While Facebook is the reigning King of social media, it may need to make some room for another social network that’s gaining some momentum in the interactive race.  It’s no secret that Twitter has become an online phenomenon, I mean who doesn’t wake up first thing in the morning and check their Twitter time-line to see what they missed during their hours of slumber? It’s almost calming to know that much activity can still go on even when you’re not a part of it at that moment. It’s like the social network that never sleeps. But I digress…

Recently the Pew Research Center and the eMarketer conducted surveys and studies regarding Twitter’s current status in the digital world and have even made predictions regarding Twitter’s future. So how do you think the site did? I’ve included some of their statistics that may exhibit some astounding and surprising information about where the site currently is and where it could be in just a matter of a year.  Are we ready to turn over the crown to Twitter eventually?

One thing that can definitely be said is that Twitter is on a roll when it comes to overall earned revenue and even predicted increases in the network’s 2011 ad revenue. Just last year Twitter generated $45 million and is expected to make a huge jump by over $100 million this year.

The Pew Research Center has analyzed the typical Twitter user and their behavior when using the social site. Surprisingly despite the success Twitter has seen and will continue to see in ad spending, the percentages for the demographics that utilize the service were slimmer than I had imagined. In fact it seems that even though there are millions of people that sign up for the online social service only 8% of online adults said they do use Twitter, with 2% doing so on a typical day. The survey also exemplified that 74% of American adults are Internet users, which means that the Twitter cohort amounts to 6% of the entire adult population.

I would’ve thought those numbers would be bigger. But in due time I can only imagine how much these figures will increase within the next couple of years, especially considering the predictions being made regarding Twitter’s successful ad revenues and increasingly amount of accounts being opened each year. In fact at least 100 million accounts were opened just in the year 2010. Can you imagine by 2014 or 2015?

All we can say is stay tuned and keep a close observation on the evolution of social media. I have a feeling that these social networks will not only change the face of the internet and how we use it, but may even change the world. Imagine that.

Don’t you hate it when you encounter spontaneous inspiration by something or someone but you forget the idea later or it’s not as innovative as it was initially? In the world of internet marketing it’s pretty easy to run into writer’s block or develop a brain freeze when trying to focus. Whether you’re trying to conjure up creative marketing campaign strategies or trying to clear your mind so you can tackle your reporting routine, there are plenty of ways to ignite that creative spark and effective thought process. Well I’ve outlined 10 essential and effective tips that have helped inspire my own creativity and have also helped me keep track of  my creative efforts.

1.       Record your ideas. It’s always beneficial to have a pen and paper on hand for those light bulb moments. Or even better, browse your mobile device for notepad like apps to record and organize your thoughts.

2.       If you dream it, you can conceive it. Daydream, doodle, ask questions, etc. All of these techniques will get your creative thought process going and will eventually manifest into reality.

3.       Do not focus on the competition…excessively. Pay attention to what your competitors are doing just enough so that you stay in the loop on what is and isn’t effective. But don’t obsess over their approach otherwise you can’t stick to your own identity.

4.       Brainstorm ideas with people you trust with your ideas and who know you well enough to give you genuine input.

5.       Eat Healthy. Spinach, milk, salmon, whole grain pasta, tofu and sunflower seeds are all proven to make you feel happier and more creative.

6.       Sleep on it. Sleep is a great aid in the thought process. Taking a power nap can refuel your brain and generate more room for your creative objectives.

7.       Listen to music. I’ve found that classical and jazz music soothes my brain and sparks creative energy.

8.       Exercise. This is a great way to clear your mind so that ideas will have room to pour in and out…of course once you get your mind off the pain in your body.

9.       Walk away. When you run into writer’s block or hit a creative wall, sometimes you should just stop, walk away, and then come back to what you’re doing. Sometimes when you’re focusing so much for such a long period of time, your brain can hit a roadblock. Give it a break and it will come back to you.

10.   Love what you do.  Have a passion for what you do and trust yourself. Confidence is a significant trait to have when you’re really trying to put things in full gear.

A recent Pew Research study was done in an attempt to differentiate various generations and their unique roles as web users. Some of the information they retrieved was pretty interesting. I don’t know about you and your family; but I know my siblings, parents, and grandparents utilize the internet for many different reasons. Not to mention the older generations in my family aren’t naturally as tech savvy nor do they really spend as much time online as say myself or my younger siblings who are just now hitting the “tween” ages. This may be the same within your family tree, or it may not be. Let’s take a peak and see what the Pew Research Center found to be an average depiction of what our generations are doing online.

First and foremost, how about we break down exactly what the different generations mean, shall we?

So now that we know who’s who, let’s dissect what we and they are doing with their time online. Do any of the generations have anything in common as web users?

I stumbled across some pretty intriguing information regarding anything and everything an online marketer would want to identify their typical consumer’s profile  and when targeting their ideal audience. Check out some of the interesting tidbits I collected while navigating through different online infographics. Hopefully this will help some of you on your journey to successful internet marketing and even more specifically social media marketing!

Enjoy!

How Global Users Spend Their Time Online

• Percentage of User’s Time Spent Online: 22% Social Media; 42% Viewing Content; 36% e-mail, e-commerce and other.
• The average American spends up to 60 hours a month online which equates to 30 days a year.

via Visual Economics

via Marketing Pilgrim

Also:

• 61% of adult internet users view videos online and 61% view online videos on a video sharing site.
• The most common online video viewing and sharing age group is 18-29 at 78%, 30-49 age groups at 66% and 45% of 50+ ages watch videos online.
• Men appear to watch more online videos than women. In fact 65% of men watch online videos while only 57% of women do.
• The most popular age demographic in the blogosphere is the 35-44 age group with 28% and following closely behind at 25% are bloggers aged 25-34.
• When it comes to what age group utilizes the internet the most, ages  18-29 spend more time online at 93%!

What do you think about some of these statistics?

Businesses are constantly trying to figure out the best ways to generate traffic to their website. With so many different outlets and resources offered out there, there’s no doubt you can attract visitors to your site, but which factors are consistent and the most effective? Social Media is a great resource when it comes to targeting different demographics that fit your ideal consumer profile. You can narrow anyone down based on age, sex, gender, location of residence, etc. so that you know who will benefit from your services more as opposed to others who wouldn’t care. This is also a great outlet to share information about your company, advertise and promote your site, and even offer incentives, specials, etc. to your fans.  Social media is the latest craze right now and it doesn’t look like it will slow down anytime soon, so jump on the bandwagon and give it a try! Don’t be afraid to engage with your friends/fans either. Consumers and potential patrons want to know that you care and want to know that they have voice within your brand. A creative website name and creative content will surely earn you high marks when it comes to your visitor and gaining their interest. You want to be able to capture consumer attention from the beginning and convince them that your brand is like no other; in fact it’s better than the others. I like to call it “sweet talk”, tell your consumers not only what they want to hear, but what they need to hear. Be honest but also a little entertainment can go a long way too. You also want to make sure you stick in their memory so the next time they want to go back to your site; they can remember your name. If you’re not sure exactly how to draw people to your site, or which sources would be beneficial for your niche business the best thing you can do is hire an expert. As skilled professionals, they can offer you more insight to who you should target and how to generate traffic to your site based on your key demographic. Not only that, but experts like Active Nation can manage your social media pages for you, update your blogs and analyze your website statistics to predict and monitor visitor behavioral trends. This will help you to know what works for your company and what doesn’t. Frankly, I would advise you to at least consult with an internet marketing expert either way so that you can weigh all of your options and know the best approach for your company to garner web traffic. You want to not only just attract new users to your site, but you also want to keep them coming back. Research all of the possible resources out there and make it work!

Recently All Facebook posted this istrategylabs data. The data was apparently collected “directly from Facebook’s Social Ads system”. It’s basically information regarding different demographics of U.S. residents that are Facebook users. It’s a pretty interesting overview. What do you think about the info? Do you think this helps internet marketers with consumer targeting and online social media behavioral trends?

Targeting your audience can be challenging depending on your ideal consumer profile, but when it comes to determining teens and tween customers and their buying habits, naturally it’s not as complex as you would think. Teen buyers usually are pretty solid when it comes to knowing what products they want. Considering teens and tweens are pretty tech savvy, the internet naturally would be a great resource for them to make their purchases. But what exactly influences a teen to purchase a product or persuade their parents to make the purchase for them?

Usually teenagers are pretty set on what they want so they may not need to research so much into their favorite product since they’re pretty keen on the newest and hottest trends, especially with electronics. But what resources influence teens to attain information about their favorite products and to make their purchases? According to an eMarketer report, “two in five teens said online reviews influenced their computer product preferences, and 37% cited product websites”. So it seems as though teens pay attention to their web sources like online customer reviews, product websites, and online ads. In fact according to the “TeenFluence Survey” conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of ConsumerSearch.com, ads were the second most common element that helped users to make their decision about a product or service.

A study by Mintel also found that the influence of online content becomes more important as kids enter their teenage years, you can also call this demographic the “tween” generation. “At the upper end of the age range, kids 9-11 are more likely to turn to more diverse resources for information, including online ads and social networking sites, while the younger kids, aged 6-8, have a stronger reliance on parents”. Not to mention word of mouth is definitely popular among this age group as kids like to “show and tell” their favorite products they possess or want to purchase. Teens usually know more about popular products and electronics than their parents do so usually the teen would influence the parent to make the purchase and the parent then researches the item through the web through customer reviews, website content, word of mouth and online advertisements also. And since tweens and teens may not have the income to make their purchases, it’s ultimately up to the parents to make the purchase.

It’s safe to say that the internet plays a major role when it comes to purchasing products, not just with adult users but more so with the newest generation of tech savvy teens and tweens. Would you agree with the report and their results?