OCOBIA DIGITAL SERVICES ASSOCIATE
Full Time: 35 hours per week
Remote: 80-90% in-person meetings in Ottawa-wide business locations
About Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas (OCOBIA)
Ottawa is home to 19 Business Improvement Areas found in urban, suburban and rural settings. Together, they represent more than 6,400 commercial properties and businesses who employ approx 120,000 people and generate a quarter of a billion dollars in municipal tax revenue each year.
Ottawa BIA’s invest millions of dollars each year into their neighbourhoods. On-street beautification initiatives, marketing and promotional campaigns, street festivals, clean-street campaigns and public safety initiatives are but a few examples of their important work. They advocate for the interests of their business members and the greater community on a host of issues and serve as catalysts for positive change.
- Advocate and influence policies that affect BIAs and their surrounding communities
- Protect the interests of BIAs and communicate the importance of their impact on local economies and tourism
- Promote strong, successful and effective BIAs in the City of Ottawa
- Implement joint initiatives that benefit groups within OCOBIA on issues and projects, including studies and research in marketing.
- Facilitate and share the exchange of information, experiences and ideas among BIAs through a centralised resource
OCOBIA and the Digital Service Squad Grant Program
OCOBIA has formed a Digital Service Squad, funded through Digital Main Street (DMS). DMS is a program focused on assisting brick-and-mortar small businesses with their adoption of technology. The Digital Service Squad Grant Program provides training, advisory support and funds to hire local Digital Service Squad members across Ontario.
OCOBIA is currently seeking an outgoing, enthusiastic, qualified candidate for the position of Digital Services Associate who will be the key member of our Digital Service Squad and our marketing communicator.
Digital Services Associate Job Description
The Digital Services Associate (DSA) will report directly to the Executive Director and is a remote position with an expected 80-90% of in-person activity.
The candidate is a self-starting, independent worker and excellent team player. They have superb communication skills and are enthusiastic about supporting small businesses.
The Digital Services Associate will directly support the Digital Main Street (DMS) program and OCOBIA’s marketing communications.
As a member of OCOBIA’s Digital Service Squad, they will assist small business owners to become e-commerce enabled and part of the Digital Main Street (DMS) portfolio.
They will attend the mandatory training provided by DMS, and scheduled meetings as required.
The majority of time spent will be in the field working with businesses.
- Marketing and Communications for OCOBIA and DMS
- Social media marketing
- curating multiple social media posts every week, coming up with new ways to engage our audience on social
- Blog/News write-ups
- Sharing success stories of BIAs, small businesses and DMS
- Website content updates
- Using WordPress, share key information about the OCOBIA Digital Service Squad on the OCOBIA website
- E Newsletters
- Create captivating and persuasive emails to BIAs and their business members
- BIA liaison for the DMS program
- Work with BIAs to set up meetings and/or go door-to-door to onboard brick-and-mortar small businesses (i.e., no home-based businesses) to the Digital Main Street platform.
- Onboarding Businesses to DMS
- Walk-through the on-boarding survey with the business owner
- Understand their business goals and share how digital tools/technology can assist them in meeting their goals.
- Walk through the Digital Assessment and recommendations with the business owner.
- Assist the business owner in identifying their first priorities and the first digital tools/technology they want to activate.
- Review recommendations made through the platform
- Digital Services
- Activate and implement free, easy-to-use digital tools and technologies that businesses would like to use (i.e., building a basic website, activating social media accounts, etc.).
- Provide some resources (articles, links, how-to guides, webinars) available in DMS
- Help business owners apply for the Digital Transformation Grant
- Help develop a Digital Transformation Plan
- Set-up Google 360 for public facing businesses registered in DMS
- Provide creative content support for small businesses who are registered in DMS
- Reporting and Feedback
- Complete DMS report on a monthly basis
- Ensure data is accurately and completely entered within the CRM (HubSpot) after each business interaction or on a daily basis.
- Strong communications skills (written and verbal).
- Strong interpersonal and relationship building/relationship management skills.
- Excellent organisational and time management skills.
- Recent graduate in communications, marketing, public relations or management.
- Experience in a customer service and/or marketing communications role
- Able to travel within Ottawa to meet with local businesses.
- Able to work independently
- Very familiar with digital technologies (e.g.social media, e-commerce, etc.)
- Working knowledge of WordPress CMS and MailChimp
- Comfortable with basic software and collaboration tools such as Google, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point) and Slack
- Previous experience with online and offline marketing is considered an asset.
- Previous experience working with small businesses is considered an asset.
- Bilingual in English and French would be an advantage
Contract term is expected run from July 18, 2022 to February 28, 2024
Eligible Out of pocket expenses (travel, cell) are reimbursed.
Apply Today:
Please submit your resume via email to ExecutiveDirector@ocobia.org by July 8, 2022.