Little Chickpea

Case study: community building

Shortly after opening their very first brick-and-mortar, Little Chickpea sought to build their social media presence and an online fanbase. This project implemented strategic messaging, improved visual curation, and community building around their target demographic.

While Little Chickpea has many unique selling points (gluten-free and vegan chickpea ice cream, gluten-free baked goods), its social presence left room for more visual and written storytelling. In this case, the three main pillars to growing and maintaining a like-minded community consisted of:

• Beautiful visuals: increase shares, impressions, and page views

• Friendly and approachable voice: the audience is heavily comprised of people with food allergies, sensitivities, and dietary restrictions. It was important for the platform to become a direct line of communication between the brand and the consumer

• Constant updates: new ice cream flavors, baked goods, seasonal specials, behind-the-scenes content, fun events, staff highlights, etc. to draw in the audience and cultivate ongoing interest in rotating products.

As time went on, we were able to form a strong community of health-conscious individuals, many of them vegan. We reinforced this sense of community by hosting local events including a halloween dog costume contest, a holiday open house for local influencers showcasing seasonal goods, and collaborations with local businesses and influencers.

Main takeaway:

People want to feel close to their favorite brands, and great storytelling turns a passive audience into an active community. Pair this strategy with authentically curated images to reel in your target audience.

Local creator shoutout: check out Here for the Cakes by Palmira Dupre (former recipe developer at Little Chickpea), who makes the best gluten-free & dairy-free/vegan goodies in town!