Secondly, I love the people dancing in the tax office. While you might think this is a bit unrealistic, I must admit that this is exactly how I feel when I break even or miraculously even get a refund from the IRS. So in my opinion – they got it exactly right by tapping into the emotion.

You’ve probably seen it before, but I suggest you watch it several times so you can focus on each person in the background. Make sure you check out the guy in the blue shirt. He is HILARIOUS! Enjoy!

Hubspot has some really great resources for marketers. Their current ebook – How to Use Google+ for Business is no exception. Download it today to get a step by step guide and learn a few things you may not know about leveraging this medium.

1. Write a blog about it. Recap your case study in a short blog post to your subscriber list.
2. Tweet about it. Send a tweet to your followers with a link to your case study.
3. Promote it on LinkedIN and Facebook. Update your status and so potential customers can learn about you and share your results.
4. Host a podcast interview. Interview your client to add  dimension to the written piece. Then, transcribe the podcast afterwards and make the transcription available on your site and in another blog post.
5. Pitch the case study to the media. Journalists often like to tout success stories. Provide them with direct access to the client and you may find your story in a top publication.
6. Pitch it for speaking engagements. Event attendees prefer to hear from their peers rather than vendors, and conference managers prefer to book brands as speakers. Therefore, submit speaking proposals that showcase how you and your client worked together to successfully solve a problem. If the conference is video taping these sessions, make sure you get a copy (or at least a link) so you can promote it to your audience.
7. Create a case study slide for sales decks. Case studies are great marketing tools for sales folks. Create a slide for them to include in their sales decks that focuses on success metrics.
8. Create a PPT for Slideshare. Expand from one slide to a full blown presentation to tell the story of how you helped the client. Then post it up on Slideshare for viral marketing opportunities. You can also link Slideshare to your LinkedIn profile.
9. Create a video. Add audio and turn your PPT presentation into a video for YouTube or Vimeo.
10. Create a case study collection. Compile an ebook of all your case studies. You can make this general or focus by vertical. Create a landing page and lead capture form and voila – you now have a killer lead gen tool.

IndieGoGo

IndieGoGo offers anyone with an idea – creative, cause-related, or entrepreneurial – the tools to effectively build a campaign and raise money.

GoBigNetwork

Go BIG helps entrepreneurs by offering guidance throughout the fundraising process from identifying a solid capital raising strategy to finding investors to preparing the pitch.

KickStarter

Kickstarter is the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects in music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields.

RaiseCapital

RaiseCapital is an online community, where entrepreneurs can display their business ideas and capital needs to investors.

The Funded

TheFunded.com is an online community of over 16,500 CEOs, Founders and entrepreneurs to discuss fundraising, rate and review investors, and discuss strategies to grow a start-up business.

1. Create a process and a schedule. Outline a process for obtaining, writing and getting approval of case studies both internally and externally and set some goals. Make sure you get the full buy-in and cooperation of your internal teams as you will need to rely on them to help you get the client’s attention. It’s easy to get distracted by a task that seems so simple, but can instantly turn daunting when coordinating clients, data and internal staff. Once you’ve nailed this down, it will be easier to build your library.
2. Hire a professional. Get a good writer with marketing experience. This person should clearly understand your business goals in order to maximize the opportunity and the interview with your client. When choosing a marketing writer focus on value, not price. Good writers that understand your business and can map the end result to business goals will provide you with the right case study that will win you exponential business.
3. Maximize the client interview. Never ask clients for information you already have. Use the client interview to gain additional insights and validate assumptions that will make the end product stronger. Also, use this time to find out if there is any information that should be excluded from the case study and who in their organization needs to approve the final draft. This will help you overcome objections prior to presenting a draft of the case study.
4. Draft the case study first. It’s better to get a slow “yes,” than a fast “no.” Writing the case study before asking the client may seem counterproductive, but sometimes it’s better to give the client something positive to react to. Oftentimes, clients are reluctant to publicize their problems or feel overwhelmed by the case study process. Once they see that you are casting them in a good light and realize they only have to make some minor edits, you are more likely to get approval.
5. Multiply your content. If you are able to secure approval for a standard case study, turn it into other media like blog posts, tweets or fodder for our fan pages. Case studies can also help you win speaking engagements so don’t be afraid to ask your client if they will co-present with you.
6. Suggest alternatives. If clients object to a case study, ask if they would consider a podcast or blog post. PR departments are a little less restrictive with these formats and audio files can always be transcribed!
7. Include case studies as part of the client contract. Some firms will offer discounts if a client agrees to a future case study. Sales usually negotiates this, but the it’s important that marketing is kept in the loop since they are the ones that need to follow up.

BizNik

Biznik is social network of entrepreneurs and small businesses dedicated to helping each other succeed. They help foster connections both online and in person in a collaborative environment. You can join for free or pay membership fees ranging from $10 to $24/month to get advanced features and visibility.

Efactor

Billed as the world’s largest network for entrepreneurs, Efactor connects over one million people in over 185 different countries providing access to information on funding, ideas, expertise and exclusive offers from fellow business owners.

Focus

Focus is a network of thousands of leading business and technology experts who are thought leaders, veteran practitioners and upstart innovators in hundreds of different topics and markets. Members can utilize this expert resource that combines Q&A, research and events to help them make smarter business decisions.

Startup Nation

Startup Nation is a online community strictly for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs focused on helping business owners start and grow successful businesses.

SocialCast

Create your own private company network with SocialCast for free. Here you can securely collaborate with employees, vendors, partners, agencies and customers.

Do you have a favorite business network that you’d like to share. Tell me!

• Focus on your audience then your brand. Who is your target and what is currently missing in the marketplace that you can provide? Your goal is to be relevant yet unique. For instance, LinkedIN is a great business networking tool, but Focus is a great social network specifically for b2b business people. In this case, niche networks like Focus allow like-minded people to have more meaningful conversations with each other because it’s more specific to their interest. Once you’ve identified the needs of your audience, you can build a powerful brand that speaks directly to them.
• Focus on content. Once you get to know your audience, you should focus on the types of things they want to see and how they like to receive and engage with content. Do they like a mix of media like  video, ratings, or editorial? Do they need to hear from experts on occasion or will your network thrive on community recommendation. If so, how will you facilitate it.These are questions you’ll have to answer in order to build your community but the key here is to get into the minds of your customers so you can deliver what they really want.
• Focus on engagement, not on being the next Facebook or Google+. While Facebook and Google are huge, they mainly have a broad based application. Therefore, niche networks can provide tremendous value if you focus on building engagement levels rather than growing your database to match that of the big guys. If people are excited about your brand, your database will grow organically. In the end, it’s better to have a smaller, highly engaged network than a huge group of people who aren’t really paying attention.

In sum, there is plenty of room for niche social networks. However,remember that you’re competing for attention so the more specific it is (and not like the others), the greater adoption you will have.