Be a Member of a Subculture and Standout from the Crowd.
What most of us seem to try to do is to identify with EVERYONE, turn no one away, be the same as everyone else.
That’s a HUGE mistake.
What’s a subculture?
Well, as I’m sure if you think about it for a second you know that our country, and all societies divide up by all types of professions, interests, hobbies, etc.
Wikipedia defined it as, “A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, political and sexual matters.”
Let me give you some silly and useful examples.
I was watching congressional hearings a few years back (8 or 10 I forget) and some idiot congress person asked a candidate for a cabinet level position whether they were “Team Edward or Team Jacob.” A reference to the two “love interests in the “Twilight” Movies. Certainly not a serious person or serious question, but apparently fans of the “vampire chick flicks” were dividing themselves up by whether they preferred the vampire guy or werewolf boy. I was forced to watch each of these with my then pre-teen daughter at midnight during the debut for each. And I’ll freely admit to apathy on the question.
With a different focus, I had a girlfriend years back who mentioned that what she liked about driving my Porsche 911 Turbo was the “Porsche Wave.” In other words “Porsche Guys” and, yes predominantly male at least when it comes to 911’s, recognize and wave or “thumbs up” each other. I’ve been a “car buff” for years, and can tell you that some makes or models develop their own fan clubs, and other subcultures.
That’s certainly true of Corvette’s, Porsche, classic Muscle cars and others. With Motorcycles there’s the Hog Members (Harley Owner’s Group) and, BMW “Motorrade” folks. Both are very “cultish.”
All you have to do is look at the various magazines, Facebook groups, websites, etc. You’ll see there are subcultures of everything from Model Trains to owners of Pet Pigs. At a larger levels, people separate themselves into “dog people” (me) and “cat people” (my mother.)
All such subcultures provide opportunities for a unique and personalized outreach effort for your practice.
Own a corvette? Love cars?
Why not photos with you and your prized Vette? A Corvette neon sign in your office. Ads in the Corvette Club newsletters. Presentations at Corvette club gatherings. Expert advice given in the various Corvette groups online. Postcards shaped like you in your prized Vette mailed to all Corvette owners in your state (sorted by income, assets, etc.)
At a more simple level, why not a photo of you with your Dog (or cat) on your website? Try that rather than the “guy in the JC Penny’s suit sitting behind an oak desk.” That’s the standard photo on most advisor websites. And it’s for the “I’m no worse than anyone else” crowd. Show off as a member of a subculture that can draw your ideal client.
Stephen Oliver
CEO
Wealth Mastery
StephenOliver@
www.AdvisorWealthMastery.com
