What we deem of as common knowledge isn’t really that common. Despite the wealth of information available to us (via the internet), we rarely use them to our advantage. Our behavior is almost always different from the concepts and theories in our heads.
These two stories will show you that what is common to us is most likely not common to other people. That’s why I decided to create a marketing basics email course for marketers specifically in the Philippines.
The Nurse
A couple of days ago my wife scraped her right leg while cleaning our room. She had this 3-inch long (not deep) cut that was bleeding.
Naturally, she tried to clean it. She dubbed some alcohol and hydrogen peroxide on a ball of cotton then over the wound.
Up to this point, everything was OK. The way she was handling it, though, after cleaning it made me cringe inside.
Before moving on, what do you think you should do after cleaning a wound?
Apply pressure to stop the bleeding, right?
But no. The way my wife was handling her light scratch was continuously pouring some alcohol on her wound and at the same time trying to rub it to check if it was still bleeding.
Me, being a “supportive husband,” was just there by her side handing her some fresh cotton and throwing the used ones.
I didn’t say anything.
Of course any person with medical knowledge would’ve known that this is not the right way to stop the wound from bleeding.
What you do is clean the wound and with a clean material (cotton or cloth), apply pressure for a couple of minutes to stop the bleeding.
The Gym Buff
As you might have read from my previous post, I have been hitting the gym pretty regularly lately.
I’ve been a member of this gym for almost 2 months now. And I’ve seen a couple of pretty regular customers or gym-goers right here.
What caught my attention was this one guy who was spending around 4-5 minutes in between sets.
If you didn’t know this already, the ideal rest in between sets is just a minute or less.
Just Google the reasons why. But this is the same principle used by High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) programs and why they are so effective.
You know what he was doing in between sets? Sitting down and checking Instagram every fucking time.
(I was so curious I had to take a look so I pretended passing by a couple of times. Hope he didn’t notice me because he might think I’m checking him out)
Common Knowledge Isn’t Really That Common
Now, these two stories made me realize that the things we think of as common knowledge, isn’t really that common.
A lot of people still don’t know these things. Or at least, don’t live them out (which is another story by itself).
I mean, this is everywhere. Any movie that has a gun shooting or knife stabbing, you’d see that the immediate first aid you do is to apply pressure to the wound.
If you’re learning about bodybuilding, every article that you would see on the Internet would give you a recommendation of resting for a minute (or two at most) in between sets.
But why does it seem that when faced with the situation, people still don’t know what to do?
So, now you might be wondering what does this have to do with effective digital marketing?
There are a couple of reasons, really. First is that a lot of marketers don’t even know anything about SEO. Google controls this field, and to not know even the basics is like playing basketball without knowing the rules.
What do you think about common knowledge? Have you seen anyone who’s supposed to know what they need to know but really don’t? Has it affected your business?
