It’s a new year and a fresh start for your company’s content marketing strategy. It’s time to let go of stagnant efforts and farfetched goals, and to figure out what you’re doing — or not doing — to generate the results you need.

Sometimes, even the smallest content marketing mistakes can snowball and invalidate your efforts entirely. These missteps can sink your credibility, turn away prospects and even encourage your customers to look elsewhere for solutions. Leave the following pitfalls in the past to maximize your content marketing strategy for 2022 and beyond.

Not getting personal. Customers want to read content that accurately acknowledges who they are, where they’re at in the sales funnel and what they need from your brand. Personalization is the foundation of an engaging and effective customer experience.

According to HubSpot, personalized CTAs, for example, achieve 20% higher conversion rates. If you haven’t already, develop a customer persona and look for opportunities for personalization along the customer journey. Map out your content, so different personas see more relevant offers and sales messages that appeal to them specifically — whether they’re still in the consideration phase, recently made a purchase, or you’re trying to win back their business.

Ignoring SEO. It goes without saying that search engine optimization is an important consideration for all online content. Why? Because you can write the most influential blog post or compelling sales article, but if you neglect SEO, nobody will ever read it.

Start by conducting keyword research, and incorporate them into your headings, titles, URLs and more. If you’re unfamiliar with SEO practices, outsourcing may be a wise investment to help your readership reach new heights.

Dismissing mobile. Ninety percent of internet users are logging on with a mobile device. To reach these customers, you’ll need more than a mobile-friendly site. Do you utilize text messaging, mobile apps or QR codes? Are emails and newsletter optimized for click-through rates?

Remember, content marketing should create a valuable experience for all customers, regardless of the platform they’re using.

Not experimenting with new formats. Customers get bored quickly. Luckily, there’s no shortage of ways to communicate. Instead of the same old blog format, try an infographic. Rather than a plain text email, send a video. Think outside the box and see if your content can get more mileage by delivering it in another way.

Using social media without a strategy. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have one major benefit in common: they offer marketers a free avenue to engage with a large audience. But that requires more than just posting for the sake of posting. If you’re not in tune with your audience and the content they want to read, then you’re missing out on key opportunities for engagement.

In the U.S., the average person spends two hours and three minutes on social media each day. How can you use this to your advantage? Identify your goals, plan your content, build a content calendar and schedule content at times people are most likely to read it.

Keep your content strategy on  track
A successful marketing strategy takes time, thorough planning and careful execution. As we move deeper into Q122, don’t make the same mistakes twice. By understanding what not to do, you can help ensure that your marketing efforts lead to marketing success.