Fractional CMO
Senior marketing leadership for less than the cost of one hire.
The traditional way
A full marketing department meant a CMO, a team of specialists and the salaries and overhead that come with them, all before a single campaign ran.
Now, with AI
One monthly fee gets you a senior team for strategy, creative, media and web. Our team uses AI for research, reporting and first drafts, so senior time goes into the decisions that move your business.
What it means for you: Big-company marketing leadership, sized and priced for a growing company.
Ask First Mate about this AI Implementation and Training
AI working in your marketing, not just talked about.
The traditional way
New software got bought, a few people tried it, and within a month everyone was back to the old way.
Now, with AI
We find the one or two tasks that eat the most hours each week, set AI up around the tools you already use, and train your people to use it well.
What it means for you: Your team spends less time on busywork and more time growing the business.
Ask First Mate about this AI Visibility (AEO)
Be the business AI recommends.
The traditional way
Being found meant ranking on the first page of Google.
Now, with AI
Customers now ask ChatGPT, Google AI and Perplexity who to hire. We audit how those engines describe you, then fix the content, structure and sources they rely on.
What it means for you: When someone asks AI about your category, your name comes up.
Ask First Mate about this SEO
Faster progress on Google, built for AI answers too.
The traditional way
Months of manual keyword research, slow audits and content written one page at a time.
Now, with AI
Our team uses AI for research, technical audits and first drafts. Our specialists make the calls and refine every page.
What it means for you: Results sooner, on pages that work for both search engines and AI assistants.
Ask First Mate about this TV, Streaming and Social Video
Broadcast quality for a fraction of what you’d expect to pay.
The traditional way
Every market meant a crew, travel and a location shoot, and the budget to match.
Now, with AI
Our team uses AI in production to create broadcast-quality spots that look shot in your own market, without sending a crew across the region. The same production is cut for TV, streaming and social.
What it means for you: TV-quality advertising without a TV-sized budget.
For national auto brands and regional dealer groups, AI production has saved $50,000 to $100,000 per regional spot.
Ask First Mate about this Radio, Podcast and Audio Ads
The right voice for every campaign, at the right cost.
The traditional way
Well-known voices are expensive, and the costs keep coming: new session fees for every campaign, plus usage rights that expire, often after six months, so you pay again to keep a spot on the air.
Now, with AI
AI voiceover means no new session fees and far simpler licensing, so you can make more versions, test faster and keep spots running longer. When a campaign calls for star power, we still book real talent.
What it means for you: More versions, faster, with budget left over for media.
For College Loan Corporation, we ran a national radio campaign with Kelsey Grammer, from concept and talent to media placement. It drove over 100,000 calls in the first year.
Ask First Mate about this Media Planning and Buying
Your budget, working where it works.
The traditional way
Plans were built from rate cards and gut feel, and reviewed once a month.
Now, with AI
Our team uses AI to spot opportunities a person might miss or find too late: last-minute and remnant inventory at strong rates, and stations, shows and placements where your audience is listening that a traditional plan might never have included. Our buyers move fast to secure them, and still negotiate and place every buy across TV, radio and digital.
What it means for you: Smarter spending, backed by deep experience placing national media.
Ask First Mate about this Website Design and Development
Five-figure websites, now often three to four figures.
The traditional way
A new website took months and a five-figure budget.
Now, with AI
Our team uses AI for design drafts, code and content, and our designers and developers refine every detail. Sites are built fast and built to be read by AI assistants.
What it means for you: A better site, launched in weeks, for a fraction of what you’d expect to pay.
This website, including First Mate, was built this way.
Ask First Mate about this E-Commerce and Shopify
A store that turns visitors into customers.
The traditional way
Product pages were written one at a time, and store builds dragged on for months.
Now, with AI
Our team uses AI to draft product copy and content at scale, while we fix what really costs sales: trust, speed and friction at checkout. Launches, redesigns and moves to Shopify.
What it means for you: More of the traffic you already have becomes sales.
Selling on Amazon? That’s our sister company, Starboard Seller.
Ask First Mate about this Logos and Brand Identity
More directions, faster, finished by hand.
The traditional way
Weeks of sketches before you saw a single direction.
Now, with AI
AI lets us explore many more directions early, so you see real options sooner. Our designers then craft the winner by hand into a complete identity.
What it means for you: A brand that looks as good as your business is.
Starboard’s own new identity was developed this way.
Ask First Mate about this Domains and Vanity Numbers
The name or number you want, most often.
The traditional way
Owners were hard to find and negotiations dragged on.
Now, with AI
Our team uses AI to dig deeper into a domain or number’s history, its owners and how to reach them. From there, our people handle the negotiation, the purchase and the transfer, start to finish.
What it means for you: A premium domain or a memorable phone number your customers won’t forget.
Ask First Mate about thisNot sure which one you need?
Most clients start with one problem, not a service name. Tell First Mate what you're trying to solve, or talk to our team.
Social Media Marketing
A consistent presence that drives business.The traditional way
One post at a time, whenever someone had a spare hour.
Now, with AI
Our team uses AI to plan, draft and adapt content for every platform, and our people keep the voice, the strategy and the results on track.
What it means for you: Steady, on-brand social that brings in customers, not just likes.
Ask First Mate about this