Sales Associate and Social Media Coordinator

Please include a link to examples of social media content you’ve created when submitting your application (reels of yourself talking on camera, reels showcasing a product, lifestyle reels, informative carousels, trend based reels, etc).

Purple Urchin is a small, local, female founded and owned personal care product business located in Ottawa, ON. We are a completely independent business, built from the ground up, and are very DIY (we like doing everything ourselves). We make small batch soap and bath and body products using natural ingredients, and are passionate about environmental sustainability and delicious scents. We have a retail store in Old Ottawa South, and we also sell online.

About the Position:

We are currently looking for a confident, outgoing, people-person to fill a part time (7-16/hrs per week) retail and social media coordinator/content creator position.

There may be the opportunity to work more hours in the near future.

This is an in person position, not remote. The successful applicant will be required to work from our retail location in Old Ottawa South, filling both a retail sales role and a social media role simultaneously. There will be the opportunity to work from home for a few hours a week to create off-site video content, and check socials daily.

Social Media Coordinator Job Description:

We are seeking an enthusiastic social media coordinator/content creator with an interest in natural products and/or skincare/personal care to create engaging and educational content, increase brand awareness, and foster online community relationships in order to grow sales.

The successful candidate will plan, execute, and maintain engaging, informative, and visually appealing content in various formats on platforms such as Instagram (crossposting to Facebook) and TikTok, collaborate with other businesses/organizations/social accounts to increase brand reach, coordinate giveaways and cross-promotions, and monitor social media metrics in order to continually improve outcomes. We are specifically looking for someone who is comfortable appearing in video content as well as speaking on camera, and being the face of our social media.

Working from our retail store, the successful candidate will interact and build relationships with Purple Urchin customers, increasing sales revenue by engaging with them in an enthusiastic manner, determining their needs, teaching them about ingredient properties, and recommending appropriate products.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Implement social media strategies for Purple Urchin that build brand awareness, generate inbound traffic and product adoption, and increase online sales.
• Plan and create engaging content for social media channels in order to create excitement about our products, increase brand awareness and loyalty, educate our audiences about our products, ingredients, and the company itself, and drive sales.
• Conduct research on industry trends and competitor activities to inform social media strategies.
• Actively seek out, form, and manage partnerships with other brands/businesses/influencers/community organizations both locally and nationally to promote Purple Urchin.
• Develop and implement strategies for increasing customer product reviews on our website, as well as user generated content that can be shared across channels and used as social proof.
• Stay current with social media trends and best practices.
• Monitor and analyze social media engagement and analytics, in conjunction with information about sales volume/web traffic/in store traffic to identify areas for improvement.
• Other marketing related duties as may be required from time to time.
• Operating our point of sale system.
• Processing cash, credit, and debit sales.
• Opening and closing duties.
• Maintaining the store’s cleanliness and organization on an ongoing basis.
• Restocking product using the first-in first-out principle.
• Counting inventory and continually monitoring it to ensure physical quantities match the quantities listed in our system.
• Cleaning the staff washroom.
• Troubleshooting technical problems with our receipt printer, debit machine, office printer, and other hardware/software.
• Assembling gift sets and adjusting inventory accordingly.
• Answering customer inquiries via phone and email.
• Processing and packing online orders.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• In-depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, including their respective analytics tools to track and report on performance.
• An enthusiastic, positive, go-getter attitude.
• Ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal format, with excellent proofreading abilities (good grammar and spelling are a must).
• Creative thinking and ability to generate engaging content ideas.
• Strong brand story-telling abilities.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with online communities.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Strong photography and video editing skills.
• Knowledge of and experience with Canva or a similar program.
• Proven ability to meet deadlines and prioritize work according to changing demands.
• Good technical understanding and ability to quickly learn new hardware and software.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent research skills to compile information and verify its accuracy (without relying on AI).

This job might be for you if you:

• are enthusiastic, energetic, and engaging
• have a positive can-do attitude
• enjoy creating visually appealing social media content
• love talking about natural ingredients, skincare, personal care, scents
• have an eye for design
• are skilled at building online communities and driving engagement
• have good video editing skills to create attention-grabbing reels
• are creative and easily able to come up with new content ideas
• love being on camera and are comfortable being the face of a business
• have proven ability to grow social media accounts organically
• have excellent grammar and spelling skills
• are extremely reliable
• have previous retail experience
• are resourceful and adept at researching and verifying accuracy of information (without relying on AI)
• are comfortable working alone and managing your time
• are natural and personable with customers, while maintaining high levels of customer service
• are adept at problem solving (technical issues, customer service issues)
• are very organized
• understand the importance of, and are committed to, maintaining a clean, stocked, and properly faced store at all times
• are available to work shifts from Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm

Education:

• High school

Experience:

• 1-2 years experience managing and growing social media accounts and creating video, photographic, and written content (in either a personal or professional capacity).

Applications that do not include links to examples of the applicant’s social media content will not be considered.

Expected hours: 7.0 – 16.0 per week

Benefits:

• Store discount

Work Location: In person