Whether we realize it or not, the one, single trend that ALL marketers are obsessing over is how quickly and effectively we can “change” human behavior.

No matter how hard Facebook tries, no matter how much of a genius Zuckerberg is, they can’t magically retrain users see Facebook as a shopping channel. That’s why they’re having major growing pains with f-commerce… There’s no refresh button inside of their users’ brains.

Google is facing a similar problem. It can get users to sign up for Google+, but it can’t train them to actually use it.

Imagine if Amazon launched a Twitter-esque micro blogging network tomorrow… would you actually use it? Probably not, right?

Established media channels their own organic identities. Even with Google or Facebook’s resources, they can’t actually change these identities overnight. It happens gradually… sometimes way too gradually.

For example, email has long been the marketing channel through which we receive shopping offers and purchasing information. Some gurus predicted that email would disappear as social media continued to grow… BUT it hasn’t happened. NOT AT ALL.

Instead, email has only become more important, as both a marketing vehicle and a go-between that alerts you about social media happenings. According to the awesome infographic below (hat tip eConsultancy), 73.4% of US mobile users received alert emails from Facebook in 2011… that’s a TON.

In fact, as a marketer, one of your major social media goals is to collect opt-ins. It’s kinda of funny, really.

Even though social media is incredibly addictive, and we’ve become extremely comfortable on these platforms — they still depend heavily on email for their monetization strategies. Just look at the graphic below and you can see just how critical email is to social media strategy for the foreseeable future…

Channels are slow to change because people like comfort and familiarity. Look, I’m right there with you. I’d rather get a receipt emailed to me than sent via Twitter or Facebook. Email is just comfortable.

That’s why its so interesting to watch a new social network like Pinterest thrive and drive revenues — right out of the gate.

The fact that Pinterest started with a blank slate has given them a HUGE advantage. As a social platform, it’s building engagement and driving shopping behaviors in a way that Facebook or Twitter could only dream of.

It’s a good thing to remember, not just in how you use online marketing channels, but for your own business. You train your customers/users on what they can expect from you from day one… changing it can be a slow and sometimes painful process.

Here’s a telling study that measured the Year-over-year use of email across all age ranges.

Not all that surprising to find that teens (12-17) are using it less than anyone considering how popular social networks and text messaging have become.  Although it’s slightly surprising to see that the decline in email use carries all the way from ages 12-54.

I’ve got one big, obvious takeaway from this Study.

Our future customers won’t be checking their email all that often. At least not near as much as their text message or tweets.

This can only mean one thing, engaging in social media with these youngsters will be a vital part of our business futures. The other vital part will be text messaging and mobile advertising, which most of us are already starting to move into.

The reality is that the younger generations are faster paced and have much less patience than the older generations.  Texting and social media are much faster and more open than traditional emailing.

Do you think we’re approaching the day where email is considered ‘old school’ in the same way the direct mail marketing is seen? Comment below!

A cool study done by JangoMail confirms a some email marketing methods that I already use, so I thought I’d take a moment to highlight this and remind you guys of some good email marketing tactics.

Of the most helpful results, it was found that 67% of consistently successful email marketers include 3 more calls to action in each of their emails. Now, I’m now sure what they mean by ‘successful email marketers’ but I can tell you from experience that this is true.

A reader should be given the opportunity to ‘act’ at many points in the email because they may be so ‘moved’ at different points. The easiest way to implement this is to pic 3 breaks in your email and put a ‘Click Here’ link at each break.

But I’ll admit that one point I often fail on is offering a more diverse set of call to actions in my emails. (i.e. asking for Facebook like or Twitter follow, taking part in a survery, etc.) Diversifying options cask a wider net over your readers, increasing the amount of responses you get, whether it be an optin, a purchase or just a new Facebook Fan.

What are some ways that you creatively use call to actions in your emails?

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You gotta love the irony of this…

I just sent an email out to my list promoting my latest course on email marketing (“13 Sneaky Email Marketing Tricks”) and the link in the promo went to the WRONG WEBSITE!

Seriously, this really did happen, but fortunately it wasn’t my fault (for once!) Check it out:

(And for the record, the correct link is: http://www.SneakyEmailTricks.com)

NOTE TO CYNICS AND SKEPTICS: I know that more than a few people will accuse me of staging this or even speculate that sending out an email with the wrong link …

I’m only gonna say this once: This email screw-up was not…I repeat NOT staged or planned in any way.

It also is NOT one of the 13 “sneaky email tricks” we discuss in “13 Sneaky Email Marketing Tricks”, so if you comment and say that on this or any other blog or forum all you’re really doing is proving that you 1) don’t (or can’t) read or 2) are so dang cynical you probably can’t be saved and should seriously consider a different business.

Here’s what this IS: It IS a good example of turning a lemon into lemonade.

Just remember that in all aspects of life, successful people see opportunities in everything…even their own personal screw-ups. )

If you’ve found it difficult to recruit affiliates because you’re not a “big name” in your market, this video may help.

In it I talk about the difference between Active and Passive Affiliate Promotions, and why you should focus on one and not the other:

NOTE: Check out Traffic Fusion if you’re looking for a way to automate the passive affiliate promotion model…