How to take the pain out of pitching to bloggers

Public relations professionals who reach out to bloggers will find more success if they get to know the blogger first and give the blogger time to respond to an inquiry, Jay Dolan writes. Having a professional e-mail address and a familiarity with the author’s work also are helpful, Dolan writes.  TheAntiSocialMedia.com

Social media success depends on adaptability, survey finds

Success in using social media most often depends on a company’s ability to adapt to change, according to a survey of Fortune 500 marketing executives done by Booz & Co. and Buddy Media Research. The survey found that 94% of respondents identified adaptability as most critical, with having a social media evangelist and firm executive backing rounding out the top three responses.  MarketingProfs 

6 key trends in digital advertising

Adweek’s list of trends driving digital advertising includes the convergence of mobile and desktop media, the rise of HTML5 as a means of presenting app-like content on tablets and computers, and an abandonment of click-through rates as a marker of online advertising success.  Adweek 

The birth of McTV

McDonald’s is introducing the McDonald’s Channel, an in-store network featuring local news and entertainment content. The network, which is being led by content specialist ChannelPort Communications, will debut in 800 McDonald’s restaurants in Southern and Central California. The network will carry eight minutes of advertising per hour, but McDonald’s itself will only be featured in about 90 seconds of that time.  Los Angeles Times 

LinkedIn acquires small search startup

Small search-engine company IndexTank is the latest acquisition by LinkedIn, which may be as interested in the startup’s nine engineers as the service itself. Announced LinkedIn: “The IndexTank acquisition brings an infusion of great search technology and talent to LinkedIn, and will help our internal teams build even better search products and experiences for our members.”  GigaOm 

Report: EBay to announce Facebook ties at conference

Analysts predict eBay will soon announce closer ties with Facebook and point to the addition of Facebook platform and mobile marketing chief Katie Mitic to eBay’s board as evidence. Mitic is one of the scheduled keynote speakers at eBay’s X.commerce conference this week, and an announcement is expected then. Facebook and eBay currently partner to allow the use of PayPal to pay for self-serve Facebook ads and credits.  Reuters 

Is online video a branding vehicle?

Online video is attracting a small fraction of ad dollars that go to television, but YouTube is looking to convince marketers that online video is an effective branding vehicle. The Google-owned video hub is launching channels with professionally produced content and outreaching to big-name marketers.  New York Times (tiered subscription model), The