In my nearly two decades (whoa, THAT’S scary!) of leading content development groups and companies,

Don Pierson, Founder & Chief Content Officer

I’ve lived both sides of the relationship and felt the frustrations of trying to create truly impactful content within the constraints imposed by budgets and time. It’s certainly never easy, and over time we’ve boiled down the pitfalls to what we like to call the seven sins of content creation.

It really comes down to a matter of quality… and being able to deliver that quality within the client’s parameters. If as content creators we can’t solve the challenge of creating meaningful digital content that meets today’s standards, then we’re essentially wasting time and money – that’s clear to everyone involved. Let’s take a look at what can go wrong.

1) Poor quality. The content you create must be high-quality and contextually relevant. Remember, today’s visual standard is broadcast television and film. Effective solutions must provide high-quality and visual impact.

2) Unavailable. Just like broadcast media, there can never be a down time. Dead air (or a dead screen as it were) is like throwing money out the window for your customer. If they don’t have engaging, interactive content on their screen, they are losing eyeballs and money.

3) Choppy/broken. Broken content is just as bad as dead air. If your content does not display correctly then no one is going to pay attention. Reliable play out is a must. Flypaper relies on Flash as a proven delivery medium.

4) Content Fatigue. What is content fatigue exactly? Content fatigue is what sets in quickly if the content is boring and repetitive. You need to constantly refresh the content your viewers see, and make it interactive whenever possible. Or vary your approach to creating your content. That way viewers don’t feel like they’re watching the same thing over and over and over and….

5) Too expensive or over budget. Quite frankly, content creation just can’t be an expensive proposition anymore. Not in this era of massive budget cuts. Often customers only have a limited budget for content production. You need a solution that fits within your customer’s budget. In the same regard, not delivering the project on budget erodes customer confidence (as well as their pocket book) and jeopardizes winning future projects with that client. Meeting this need has always been in conflict with number 1, providing quality content. Inexpensive always meant settling for inferior quality. With Flypaper you don’t have to settle any more.

6) Missing deadlines. Most digital content projects are tied to a specific event or campaign. But even when they aren’t, late delivers affect yours and your company’s reputation. In today’s economic climate you need to deliver projects on time and on budget, because if you don’t, that gives your competition the opening to steal your business. Here’s another need that’s always been in conflict with providing quality content. “Fast” also meant settling for inferior quality. With Flypaper that’s no longer true.

7) No measurable ROI. Content done for visual aesthetics without a business purpose is good for the fine art world, but does not work in business. If the results cannot be measured to provide a justifiable return on investment, then you are setting yourself up to fail your clients. Analytics and measurement are the keys to business communications.

While some of these tips are more important during tough economic times, they should always apply to how you do business, even during the best of times. Additionally, every creative agency and Flash developer should be focused on creating content that meets today’s standards – always engaging, always interactive, always impactful.