Client Type: Fortune 1000 National Retail Brand / Sleep Wellness

Roles: Sr. Manager of Content Marketing Strategy (12 year FTE) + Fractional Editorial Content Director (2-year retainer)

Timeframe: 12 year FTE + 2 year Fractional Retainer

 

The Challenge

Sleep Number was transforming from a mattress brand into a purpose-driven wellness company. They needed a consistent brand voice, scalable content strategy, and measurable results to drive awareness, loyalty, and sales across editorial, social, influencer, and partner channels.

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My Approach

I led and evolved the brand’s content strategy over 14 years, developing a high-impact editorial and influencer ecosystem that connected emotionally and converted consistently.

 

Key Initiatives Included

• Editorial Strategy: Launched and scaled the Sleep Number blog 10x, achieving major SEO lifts and generating over $1M in annual sales.

• Program Innovation: Created the Sleep30 sleep improvement program, which doubled NPS and achieved 7x engagement rates.

• Influencer & Partner Marketing: Directed 7-figure partnerships with Thrive Global and Katie Couric Media (22M views, 3.4x higher video completion rates).

• Social Media Growth: Built and led the brand’s first Social Media team and Social Command Center, achieving top-tier ROI ($2–$3 per dollar spent).

• Cross-functional Leadership: Partnered across marketing, CRM, product, and retail teams to deliver content that aligned with customer journeys and drove results.

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Key Deliverables

• Long-term editorial planning and content pillars

• Blog development and optimization

• Branded program creation (Sleep30)

• Influencer and partnership strategy

• Cross-channel storytelling frameworks

• Team leadership and content operations

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Client Feedback

“Sarah has pioneered content marketing within the organization... She can take a complex initiative and break it down to simple, clear, relevant, and compelling storytelling.”
— Jill Cannon, Retail & Sports Marketing Leader

“Sarah is wonderfully talented and is an amazing sounding board for brand and content. She breaks down both the strategy and the tactical elements.”
— Heidi Hite, HR Leader

“She revolutionized Sleep Number's storytelling by finding unique ways for our loyal customers to share their love of the product—contributing to improved sales, referrals, and repeat business.”
— Ron Davis, CRM Leader

“I guarantee she will make you think differently... She leans into her strengths of strategic thinking, organizational effectiveness and collaborative leadership.”
— Lisa Bailey, VP Media
 

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Results & Outcomes

• +1,000% blog growth; +46% new site visitors and +80% return visits YOY
   

• $1M+ in blog-driven revenue, annually
   

• 74% of Sleep30 participants improved habits; 82% reported better sleep
   

• Influencer campaigns drove 15M+ engagements and multi-million sales
   

• Social media ROI of $2–$3 per paid dollar spent