LET'S GET TO KNOW
ONE ANOTHER.
‍

Hi.
I'm Sarah.

I am a brand marketing, communications and content strategist with 15 years of experience working with and within academic institutions, non-profit organizations, growth-stage tech startups, corporate incubators and enterprises at the leading edge of tech innovation.

I have worked in cross-functional roles to develop brand marketing and communications strategies — both as an internal employee, and as an independent consultant. Beginning in June of 2019, I began working as an independent consultant.

This work has focused on developing brand marketing strategies to launch new ventures, strategic programs, grow into new markets, acquire enterprise-level clients, and fuel innovation-focused activities. Some of my work is conducted in stealth, but a selection of public work is available to explore on this site.

WHY
STORYTELLING
MATTERS

Storytelling is a powerful tool to educate and inspire people to innovate, and create positive impact.

I collaborate closely with organizations and leaders to capture their unique stories, craft them into meaningful content with value for their intended audience, and design omni-platform strategies to share these stories on the platforms their audience uses to connect.

I have worked with teams to use storytelling to launch startup brands, reposition legacy brands, drive reputation for new innovations and capabilities, and create community. I believe storytelling plays a critical role in every organization's external brand, as well as their internal culture.

CONSULTING
SERVICES

• Brand Marketing Strategy
• Content & Communications Strategy
• Editorial Planning
• Copywriting
• Thought Leadership Ghostwriting
• Website & Digital Channel Strategy
• Lifecycle & Email Marketing
• Social Media Strategy & Production

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Revenue Pulse & Epic Games (Consulting; On-going)
Lifecycle Marketing Strategist

As a consultant for Revenue Pulse and Epic Games, I partnered with the team at Epic to design lifecycle marketing strategies aimed at driving brand awareness for new products, features, events and courses across their portfolio of B2B products including Unreal Engine, Twinmotion, MetaHuman and more. I worked with the team to kick off redesigning their campaign strategy to improve campaign performance and the overall user experience.
‍

Store No. 8, the Incubation Arm of Walmart (Consulting; On-going)
Brand Marketing, Communications + Content Strategist, Ghostwriter

While consulting for Store No. 8, I partnered with executive leadership to design and lead a year-long internal and external communications and content marketing strategy. My work focused on driving awareness and building internal partnerships within the core business, building brand awareness for the incubator within the tech sector, and creating brand guidelines and marketing plans for stealth companies within the portfolio. Additionally, I manage internal communications activities led by the incubator within the corporation, including the launch of a strategic partnership with the MIT Media Lab, as well as an RFP and agency onboarding process to kick off work on branded projects.

People Rocket (Consulting)
Brand Director, Content Strategist
I began working with People Rocket as a consultant in March of 2019. I worked with the senior leadership team to redesign their brand, develop a marketing and brand strategy, and ghostwrite articles in order to share thought leadership and drive brand awareness.
Braintrust (Consulting)
Content Director, Ghostwriter
I worked under a six-month contract with
Braintrust, a Silicon Valley emerging from stealth mode. My work focused on developing a content marketing strategy, ghostwriting on behalf of a co-founder, and developing the content architecture and copy for their new website.
Built In, Inc. (Oct. 2017 - July 2019)
Content Director
As the Content Director at Built In, I managed a team of 19 editors, strategists and writers producing 2,000-plus pieces of content for seven Built In market sites. During my time at Built In, we more than tripled content production and paid content revenue after implementing new operations and tools.
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (Jan. 2017 - Nov. 2017)
Assistant Director of Enterprise Communications
As the Assistant Director of Enterprise Communications, I worked with the Director of External Communications and the Chief Communications Officer to develop a new enterprise story in order to capture the exciting innovations produced during a five-year strategic plan.
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (Oct. 2012 - Feb. 2017)
Marketing Manager
As a Marketing Manager at Kellogg, I was tasked with driving the school's reputation for entrepreneurship, innovation, business growth and scaling, venture capital, private equity, social impact, and more. My work involved developing marketing and content strategy, producing content, video and podcast series, launching new websites, managing event marketing, and identifying opportunities for earned media.
Family Features (June 2011 - Sept 2012)
Paid Advertising Copywriter
As a copywriter at Family Features, I worked with food and lifestyle brands to develop high-quality paid content placed in newspapers, magazines and digital platforms throughout the U.S. and Canada.
United Way of Greater Kansas City (Aug. 2010 - Oct. 2011)
Fundraiser, Community Resource Consultant
At the United Way of Greater Kansas City, I reported into the Vice President for Campaigns, coordinating annual fundraising campaigns for more than 80 accounts. In this role, I engaged with community members to exceed fundraising goals, as well as created account-specific campaign recommendations shared with Chief Executive Officers and senior leaders of participating companies.
Editorial Assistant + Marketing and Communications Coordinator (March 2008 - Nov. 2009)
KU Endowment Association
At the KU Endowment Association, I worked as the assistant to the Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications, as well as her department. I managed departmental projects and budgets, co-managed fundraising events for the University of Kansas, and worked as an Editorial Assistant and contributing writer for KU Giving magazine.

Ready to collaborate?

Let's talk.

s.g.aylward@gmail.com

LET'S GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER.‍

Hi. I'm Sarah.