What Firebelly Marketing does

Firebelly Marketing is a privately held, Indianapolis-based digital agency operating exclusively in the social media marketing space, with a dedicated focus on food and beverage brands across CPG, spirits, snacks, and produce sub-verticals. The firm has operated for approximately 18 years under founder Duncan Alney, supported by a roughly 16-person team including a Vice President and Head of Operations. Its core offerings include social media management ($3,000–$10,000/month), in-house content creation (graphic design, videography, photography, and UGC starting at $3,000/month), full-funnel paid social advertising (starting at $4,000 plus media spend), community management (starting at $1,000/month), and, more recently, email marketing (starting at $1,500/month) and an educational product called Firebelly Academy.

The underlying technology stack is centered on Sprout Social as the certified partner platform for social account management, supplemented by email service provider integrations (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend) and advertising analytics pixels (Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel). Content production is handled through an in-house studio rather than third-party vendors, and the firm operates proprietary media assets including The Firebelly Social Show podcast distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, and Podbean. No public or partner-facing API is offered, and there is no evidence of proprietary AI/ML systems.

Firebelly's business model is a recurring monthly retainer agency structure, with revenue drawn from six core service streams plus pass-through media spend on advertising engagements. The go-to-market combines consultative direct sales targeting mid-market food and beverage brands, supported by content marketing, podcast distribution, trade show presence (Expo West, KeHE Holiday Show, World of Coffee), and case-study-driven conversion. Customer logos span startup through enterprise classifications and are concentrated in food and beverage, with one property management outlier. The firm is bootstrapped, founder-owned, and privately held with no disclosed institutional capital, acquisitions, or secondary transactions.

Name

Firebelly Marketing

Legal name

Firebelly Marketing

Website

https://firebellymarketing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Firebelly Marketing is an Indianapolis-based social media marketing agency focused exclusively on food and beverage brands, offering content creation, social media management, paid advertising, UGC, community management, and email marketing on monthly retainers to mid-market CPG clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Media Marketing Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry / Category Marketing Strategy (Vertical GTM) (MPAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Social media marketing
• Food and beverage marketing
• Content creation services
• Paid social advertising
• Influencer and UGC marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Media Management Services: Monthly retainer services covering content planning, publishing, community management, and performance reporting. Ranges from $3,000-$10,000/month depending on scope.
2. Content Creation: Graphic design, videography, photography services for social media content creation. Starts at $3,000/month.
3. Social Media Advertising: Full-funnel paid social campaigns including audience targeting, creative development, daily monitoring, and optimization. Starts at $4,000 + media spend/month.
4. UGC and Influencer Marketing: User-generated content creation and influencer campaign management. Starts at $3,000/month plus media spend.
5. Email Marketing Services: Email strategy, campaign creation, automated flows, and ESP management. Starts at $1,500/month.
6. Community Management: Responding to interactions, identifying advocates, and measuring community conversation. Starts at $1,000/month.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Firebelly Marketing is a social media marketing agency that delivers end-to-end social media services to food and beverage brands, including content creation (graphic design, videography, photography, UGC-style), social media management, community management, paid social advertising, UGC and influencer marketing, and email marketing. Services are sold as monthly retainer engagements, with an in-house studio for production and integrations with Sprout Social, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Omnisend.

Product overview

Firebelly Marketing is a social media marketing agency that has operated for 18 years with a single mission of creating meaningful social connections. The offering is organized as a service-based platform with core social media marketing services (Content Creation, Social Media Management, Community Management, Social Media Advertising, and UGC Marketing) supplemented by Email Marketing as an add-on service. Content creation spans multiple sub-modules including Studio Images, Studio Videos, UGC Portfolio, Trends Content, Brand Films, Retail Velocity, Motion Graphics, and AI Experimental. The company also produces proprietary content through The Firebelly Social Show podcast and offers educational products including Firebelly Academy (a crash course for business owners) and Executive Briefings (trend-focused sessions). All services are delivered with a focus on food and beverage brands, with pricing starting at $3,000/month for content creation and management, $4,000+ for paid ads, and $1,500 for email marketing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Firebelly Academy: Social media marketing crash course for business owners with limited time, money, and energy.
• The Firebelly Social Show
• #GotTheFire

Products and services

• Content Creation In-house creative content production covering graphic design, videography, photography, Reels, YouTube Shorts, natural light, studio, and UGC-style content for social media feeds. Offered to food and beverage brands.
• Social Media Management Full-service social media management including content planning, editorial calendars, posting optimization, post promotion, and performance tracking with a dedicated social media manager.
• Community Management Responding to social interactions, identifying brand advocates, and measuring community conversation for client brands.
• Social Media Advertising Full-funnel paid social campaigns including audience targeting, creative development, daily monitoring, budget optimization, and performance reporting across Meta and TikTok platforms.
• UGC and Influencer Marketing User-generated content marketing and influencer campaign management including creator sourcing, campaign management, and content production for authentic brand content.
• Email Marketing Email marketing service for F&B brands including email strategy, campaign creation, automated flows, copy and design, segmentation, and ESP setup/management using Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or Omnisend.
• The Firebelly Social Show Mission-Driven Food and Beverage Brands podcast hosted by founder Duncan Alney, featuring brand leaders, origin stories, and industry trend discussions. Distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, and Podbean.
• Firebelly Academy Social media marketing crash course for business owners providing practical tips, successful social strategies, and agency expertise for growing a business on social media without hiring an agency.
• Executive Briefings Executive events and briefings covering social media marketing trends including Content Creation Made Simple, Dominate Video On Social, and Grow Your Brand on Pinterest.

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sprout SocialcoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified Sprout Social partner. Firebelly leverages Sprout Social's social media management platform as their primary technology for managing client social accounts, providing best-in-class social media management with the latest technology and product pathways.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lyfe Marketing: Lyfe Marketing is a digital social media marketing agency offering content creation, social media management, and paid social for small and mid-market brands. Directly comparable to Firebelly as a similarly-sized social media agency competing for the same client profile.
• Salted Stone: Salted Stone is a HubSpot-focused inbound marketing agency offering social media management, content creation, and paid media. Comparable in service mix and mid-market positioning to Firebelly.
• Social Chain / John Knific: Social Chain (now part of Brave Bison) is a social media and influencer marketing agency with strong CPG and food/beverage client experience, directly competing with Firebelly for F&B social mandates.
• Obviously: Obviously is a global social media, influencer, and UGC agency serving consumer brands including food and beverage. Comparable service stack to Firebelly with overlap in UGC/influencer-led content production.
• AMP Agency: AMP Agency is a full-service social, influencer, and experiential marketing agency with deep CPG and food/beverage brand experience. Closely comparable in client profile and service offering to Firebelly.
• SmartBug Media: SmartBug Media is an inbound and social media marketing agency offering content, paid social, and email for mid-market and enterprise brands. Comparable as a multi-service digital agency targeting similar buyer profiles.

Broad incumbents

• Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: Thrive is a much larger full-service digital marketing agency offering social media, SEO, PPC, and web design. Comparable service category but operates as a broader incumbent rather than a vertical specialist like Firebelly.
• WebFX: WebFX is a large, established digital marketing agency offering social media advertising alongside SEO, CRO, and content marketing. Comparable at the service-line level but a much broader incumbent competing for the same F&B buyer.

Others

• Emplifi (formerly Socialbakers): Emplifi is a social media marketing platform offering analytics, UGC, and influencer tools. Comparable as a technology partner/competitor in the social media marketing stack rather than a direct services peer.
• Sprout Social: Sprout Social is a social media management platform and Firebelly's certified partner. Included as an adjacent ecosystem player whose product enables Firebelly's delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/FirebellyMarketing/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firebelly-marketing
• Xx.com/wearefirebelly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Firebelly Marketing