MediaPost posted an article called "Smart Publishers Will Thrive In this Downturn" and I saw a couple of the tips I thought made sense to anyone creating content and selling interactive media.....
"? Be flexible with the ad formats you accept. Now is the time to engage with agencies and demonstrate your value. Even within the established ad types, marketers still like to experiment. When the budget makes sense, work with them on research studies. Provide engagement metrics. Try a variety of creative formats and work closely with the agency to determine what works best.
? Optimize for performance. Even in video, click-through rate still matters. While many advertisers are satisfied to obtain strong reach adjacent to high-quality content, an equal or greater number are optimizing their campaigns based upon CTR and conversion. Use the tools at your disposal to strive for a 1% or higher CTR: turn off autoplay on your pre-roll. Study which sections of your site achieve the highest performance. Work with your agencies to learn which creatives are resonating best with your audience and see if you can shift delivery to those.
? Keep your content fresh and advertiser-friendly, and be sure users know about it. If your video becomes stale, it will lead to a downward spiral of click-through rates and impressions. Make sure you're properly merchandising your new video throughout the site and give users the tools they need to share links with their friends. If you're lucky enough to be a content creator, think about whether your video appeals to advertisers. Content doesn't have to be "G-rated" -- but keep in mind that the largest buys are still targeted to relatively general audiences. "
These are important things to keep in mind as you look at the upcoming year and look at doing more business through your interactive channels.