Most businesses have profiles on top social media sites. Social media has become such a popular marketing tool that it would be more surprising to find a business that wasn’t on Facebook or Twitter, among others.

Though you’ll find most businesses on social media, you won’t often find the employees of those businesses with official social media profiles — unless it’s the CEO or another high-ranking official. Otherwise, employees are likely to have their own personal accounts and nothing more — and that’s a real missed opportunity. Here are a few ways that you can use official staff social media profiles to help promote your hotel, restaurant, or other business:

Start with the Right Training

Part of the reason that many businesses may be hesitant to let their staff have social media profiles to promote the business is that they are afraid they will commit marketing gaffes. You need to have consistent branding in order to be successful with any marketing strategy, and that gets difficult when you have multiple people assuming responsibility.

However, you can ensure that your marketing stays on message by training your employees on your brand messaging and giving them explicit instructions on what they can post, what they can’t post, when to post and other issues. Make sure that you revisit these guidelines often and address any issues that come up along the way to ensure that the strategy is a success.

Show Off the Company Culture

One of the best ways to use staff profiles on social media is to show off the company culture. Give your fans a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on when you’re preparing to give them the best service. However, don’t be too formal, or it will be boring. Have fun with it!

Show your employees having fun together. Show your team-building activities. Show your chefs experimenting with new dishes in the kitchen. Show the prep for a big event. Whatever you do, make sure that you show off who you are, but also make sure you convey a sense of enthusiasm and fun.

Share Heartwarming Customer Interactions

In the course of business, you’ll have employees who go above and beyond for customers or who make personal connections with customers. Use their social media profiles to share this. Not only will you give your company a more human face, but you’ll also show off how much you care about your customers.

Ask employees to share their stories. Share photos of employees interacting with customers, such as a server bringing a special dessert for a birthday boy or a concierge helping an elderly woman to her room. Employees can even send shout outs to special customers for their birthdays, anniversaries or other special moments.

Do Fun Stuff

Social media gives you a great opportunity to market your business while also having fun. Brainstorm creative ways to take advantage of this opportunity. For example, maybe you can have a contest on social media for a free meal or a free night’s stay at your hotel. To enter, maybe customers have to go on a social media scavenger hunt, looking for clues on your employee’s profiles, as well as your company’s primary profile.

There are a lot of other great ways you can use social media to have fun and generate some buzz around your brand. Be creative and see what ideas you can come up with!

Reward Employees

Your customers like to see employees rewarded when they have done a good job. Use social media to get them in on the act. For example, if you want to name an employee of the month, you can ask your customers to “vote” by liking the profile of the employee they think most deserves it. The employee with the most likes would then win for that month.

Again, be creative and brainstorm other ways that you can use social media to help recognize and reward your employees. Your customers will enjoy it, and it will help your employees build longer-lasting relationships with them.

Your employees are valuable assets in marketing your business. Take advantage of social media to help get them in on the act and to put a more personal face on your business. With the right training and the right strategies, they can help you take your marketing campaign to the next level.

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This post was contributed by Amber Satka. Amber writes on financial topics, many of which can be seen on her app site: www.carloancalculator.org. She is a former office manager and current mother and writer.