Every now and then, I notice
someone seeking to buy or sell "organic followers" for a
Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram account, or some other
social media page/account/whatever.
They sound so mysterious,
these organic followers.
Are they like organic food?
Well, strictly speaking,
almost all food is organic. If I remember correctly, other than some
salts that we need, there's no such thing as inorganic food. Rocks
are inorganic, and you better not eat them. Metals are inorganic.
Walls of your house are inorganic, unless you're a witch living in a
house made of candy.
In other words, organic food
doesn't simply mean that your food is organic – if it's edible,
it's almost certainly organic – it means that your food is supposed
to be super-healthy and safe to eat. It's not really as healthy as
those selling it would want you to believe, but it's advertised as
such.
Just like organic followers
are advertised as safe. They'll follow the account you want them to
follow, and stay with it forever.
But what are they, and how
do you get them?
If you wish, try to imagine
Charlton Heston saying this: "Organic followers are people!"
Wait, what?
That's what the term
"organic followers" means. People.
People like your Aunt
Amanda, who wanted to be a ballerina when she was a little girl, but
is now selling insurance, and hating it.
People like Cousin Molly,
who works in retail and wants to get married. Or like your friend
Linda, who is working hard to become a nurse because she enjoys
helping people; or her sister Megan who is a doctor.
There's also your Uncle Bob,
who is a carpenter. And your Mom, a proud housewife and a mother of
four. And your Dad, who recently got retired but still wants to work.
And this girl you know, who wants to travel the world and become a
marine biologist and...
And many others.
People.
People with hopes and
dreams, people who desire and get bored and tired and want a lot but
have a limited amount of time and energy.
People who are all labeled
as "organic followers" and seen as numbers following a
social media account.
But why would they? What's
in it for them? Why should they care about that social media account?
Will it solve one or more of their problems? Will it entertain them?
Will it do something useful for them? Who is the person or the
company behind that account, anyway, and what does that person or
company want from all these people? To help them (how, exactly), or
just to sell them stuff that will clutter their space and their lives
and do nothing good for them?
When thinking about how to
get (and keep) "organic followers", those are the questions
that you might want to answer.
Because organic followers
are people, not just numbers following a social media account. And
they should be treated with respect, and offered something of value.
Just the way you'd want your friends and family to be treated.
