Social media is a huge part of our lives. It's likely that the most used apps on your phone are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or some combination of each of those. Whether for business or personal use, social media is a great tool to connect with other people.

But sometimes it's easy to get carried away. When it comes to your business, be smart about social media. Here are our 5 tips on things you should stop doing on social media.

1. Pushing the same content to all platforms.

Guys. The posts that work on Facebook aren't always the posts that will work on Twitter or even Instagram. Yes, it's cool that all the accounts can integrate, but really – stop.

Focus on what each of your different audiences respond to, and post that type of content regularly.

2. Looking at follower count as a sign of success.

Having hundreds or even thousands of followers doesn't mean you have a successful social media account. How many of those followers are engaging with your posts? Meaning: who's liking, commenting, sharing, and interacting with what you're putting out there?

Dive into the engagement of your posts rather that spinning your wheels collecting followers. Build a strong following based on those who interact with your profile. Once you do this, the followers will come.

3. Talking about yourself.

We know. Social media is an outlet that is less rigid than a website or other types of business correspondence. But that doesn't mean it's a place to constantly talk about yourself.

Mix up your content by sharing things that inspire you, behind the scenes peeks into your work, images from a vacation, and tips or tricks related to your industry. There are ways to talk about yourself indirectly, instead of sounding like a commercial with every post.

4. Thinking that social media is the final destination.

Social media is a great place to be more casual with clients and potential clients. And it's another avenue where you can share your brand with an audience. These are both positive things, but keep in mind that your Facebook or Instagram isn't the only thing you want someone to come in contact with in regard to your business.

Send followers to your website or blog. Not only do they see your professional side and the work that you do, it can be a boost for your SEO by sending people interested in your brand over to your website to learn about your business.

5. Arbitrarily following anyone and everyone.

This also goes for joining groups. Make sure that you're intentional with who you choose to follow and what groups to be a part of. Otherwise, you'll find your feed clouded with posts that you have no interest in whatsoever. And by all means, don't add people to groups without their permission.

If you're following people or businesses that you want to engage with, it may even be a source to share content to your own page. Think twice before clicking like.