It’s spring cleaning time which means we’re taking a look through our proverbial marketing closet and we’re getting rid of the outdated, the things that don’t fit our brand anymore, and the things that simply aren’t working for us.

Here are a few strategies you’ll want to keep tidy this year, or else they have potential to cause a huge mess.

Trending hashtags or “Everyone’s talking about this, so we need to, too!”

Is this a way to bring your company’s voice into a hot-button topic? Absolutely. But be careful, because users are perceptive of when something works and when you’re just jumping in the conversation to gain popularity. Just because it’s working from some brands doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you.

Exhibit A – #TheDress

Some clever brands were able to make this work. Others, not so much. We’re not going to put those who threw themselves into the conversation on blast, but let’s just say, like #thedress itself, it wasn’t all that pretty and it’s awkward for everyone when a brand looks like it’s trying too hard to fit in

Next, keywords or “This isn’t exactly what my post is about, but this search phrase is popular!”

Keywords aren’t as important as they once were, but when they’re naturally a part of a story, they act as little signs that help crawlers understand what an article is about. If you’re going to use keywords for quick search wins,, make sure they’re accurate.

Think about what a searcher is looking for when they type in this keyword, and give them what they expect. Google is smart, and when posts have a high bounce rate, few interaction and no shares – they’re going to fall down in page rankings.

Personalization or “This email isn’t great, but it includes names so readers will know 03.17.2015_ContentCoffee-04 (2) it’s genuine!”

You’re more likely to open an email when it’s addressed to you, because it shows it was actually intended for you. But, getting someone’s name correct (or worse, incorrect), doesn’t make a message personal and making sure your data is correct is a top priority. Spring cleaning is a great opportunity to do a sweep of your contact list, make sure your information up to date and get rid of expired addresses.

So, what’s being taken out of your marketing “closet” this year and being added to the donations pile? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter – and check back every Monday for your weekly Content and Coffee.

Molly Buccini is Brafton's community manager. She joined the team with a background in digital journalism and social media. She's a theatre nerd, pop culture junkie and lover of summertime.