Founder-led marketing for businesses in motion

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Who we are

→ A small GTA studio doing social, content, SEO, and paid ads

→ Built for businesses that have outgrown DIY but aren't a fit for a 50-person agency

What we believe

  1. We don't believe in posting for the sake of posting.

  2. Strategy without execution is a deck nobody opens.

  3. The best marketing sounds like the brand, not the agency.

  4. Small teams move faster → and care more.

Series of photos from a coffee industry event. Top left shows two smiling people at a coffee booth. Top middle shows attendees at a trade show booth. Top right depicts a coffee shop counter with a barista. Middle left features a woman pouring milk into a coffee cup. Middle middle shows a barista steaming milk with an espresso machine. Middle right displays a starter kit box for an espresso machine. Bottom left captures steaming steam from a commercial espresso machine. Bottom middle includes a sign about Toronto's coffee scene change with new machine models. Bottom right shows the exterior of a coffee shop named 'Arabian Cat Cafe' with outdoor seating.

Social

Close-up of a person's hands holding a smartphone taking a photo of a table with two iced coffee drinks and a plate with baked goods. The person is wearing rings and bracelets, and has painted red nails.

Content

A person sitting on a beige sofa near a window, wearing jeans, a dark sweater, and brown shoes, with a silver laptop on their lap. In front of them on a brown table is a magazine, a jar with a drink, and a magazine. Sunlight casts shadows on the table and floor.

Strategy

Meet the team behind Kickback Social doing it for you

A small founder-led team built around the work, not the org chart.

Emily Phongphilack

Emily runs the show alongside her team

Strategy, your account, and social and content alongside Val. She started Kickback to build the agency she'd actually want to hire: small, sharp, founder-led. From kickoff to year three, she's the name in your inbox and the person doing the work.

FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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Valentina Nestico

Val runs social and content with Emily.

Strategy, shoots, captions, and the numbers behind what's working. She brings the energy on set, the eye behind the feed, and the kind of creative direction that makes a brand feel like itself. Two people on your social, one shared brain.

SOCIAL & CONTENT
GRAPHIC DESIGN

Phung Le

Phung's whole thing is making things look easy on eyes.

And she means it. Branding, print, social graphics, the works. She'll spend hours on the details most people would call done, which is exactly why we hand her the work that has to land.

What we do / our services

  • Hand off your feed and focus on running the business.

    Full-service social media for businesses that need their presence handled, not micromanaged. We build the strategy, write the captions, schedule the posts, engage with your community, and report on what's working — so you don't have to think about your feed unless you want to.

    What's included:

    • Monthly strategy aligned to your business goals

    • Captions, scheduling, and publishing

    • Community management and DM response

    • Monthly reporting on performance and next moves

    • Platform mix tailored to your audience (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook)

    Who it's for: Established businesses with lean or scaled-down marketing teams who need consistent, on-brand output without the agency-hire overhead.

  • One shoot. A month of content. Ready to post when you are.

    Productized content shoots designed to give you a full month (or more) of short-form video, photo, and graphic content in a single day on-site. We handle direction, capture, and editing — you show up, run your business, and walk away with a content library that's actually usable.

    What's included:

    • Pre-shoot creative direction and shot list

    • On-site production (video + photo)

    • Editing and post-production

    • Delivered as a ready-to-post content library

    • Optional add-on: captions and scheduling

    Who it's for: Brands that need a steady supply of original content without the chaos of week-to-week shoots, businesses launching campaigns or new products, and teams that want to batch creative work efficiently.

  • Get found on Google & Social Platforms.

    Search and paid media run as one connected practice — because the businesses ranking organically and the ones running smart ad spend are usually the same ones winning. We handle SEO, Google Ads, and Meta Ads under one roof, with shared strategy and shared reporting.

    What's included:

    • Technical SEO and on-site optimization

    • Local SEO (Google Business Profile, named-city coverage)

    • Google Ads (Search and Display)

    • Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram)

    • Ad creative, copy, and ongoing optimization

    • Transparent monthly reporting across both channels

    Who it's for: GTA businesses ready to put budget behind growth, brands that want to be found in both search and feed, and companies whose organic reach has hit a ceiling.

Not sure which pillar fits?

Tell us about your business

Every post earns its place

Sure we can make the meme — but only if it speaks to the customers who actually convert. Content is built around your ICP, not the algorithm's update of the week.

We test, learn, and adapt based on what moves your audience to remember or act.

Our clients love us because we care, not just because we’ve “done this before”

Kickback Social Client Empowering Auto
Kickback Social Client Café ZUZU
Kickback Social Client Zuccarini Importing
Eem Khao Kickback Social Client
AfterSell Kickback Social Client

Frequently asked questions

  • We are based in Hamilton, Ontario, and provide on-site content creation and social media strategy for businesses across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), including Burlington, Oakville, and Mississauga. Our "Content Days" are designed to be efficient for local businesses.

  • Love the enthusiasm, but we prefer to play the long game here! Real momentum takes an Intentional Slow-Down first. We audit your workflow and ICP to build a foundation that actually lasts. A "trial" is just "guessing," and neither of us has time for that. We're looking for longterm partners, not flings.

  • Honestly? No. Most agencies "coast"—they take a retainer, post on a schedule, and send a generic report at the end of the month. We drive.


    Kickback Social is a proudly woman-owned and Lao-Canadian owned boutique operation, which means we bring a specific blend of Southeast Asian resilience and corporate precision to your brand.

    We don't have "account managers" who don't know your business. You get owner-to-owner advocacy. We are grounded, we are bubbly, and we care as much about your ROI as you do.

    If you want a vendor, hire an agency. If you want a partner who treats your brand like a capital asset, you’re in the right place.

  • Yes, but we aren't a high-volume agency. We are a boutique, founder-led firm serving the Greater Toronto Area.

    Because we offer strategic advocacy rather than just "posting," we only take on a limited number of partners at a time.

    This ensures you get my direct grit and corporate precision, not a junior account manager who doesn't understand your ICP.

  • We ignore vanity metrics like "likes" from people who will never buy from you. Active ROI is about driving qualified leads and doubling sales through intentional storytelling. We audit your business workflow and values first to ensure the content we create actually moves the needle. If it’s not boosting your revenue or protecting your reputation, we don’t do it.

  • We are a woman-owned and Lao-Canadian owned business. This heritage is the root of our "Owner’s Grit"—a blend of Southeast Asian resilience and modern strategic precision. We bring a grounded, honest perspective to every brand we advocate for, ensuring your "quiet heritage" has a loud, measurable impact in your industry.

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