3X?

Well it could be three times the value – or more. It’s just an illustration…

… of how to make the most of the copy you write – for marketing, for content, for selling.

It’s a simple thing to do – yet one easily forgotten or ignored.

And, in the spirit of 3X, you’ll find three purposeful lessons within this post today.

First, take a look at these lines:

“…’Either shoot me or get out of my house’. Morris Bellamy shot him.”

“I have to be really careful, and I can’t tell anyone. No one at all. In the shower, he had an idea.”

“The die is cast.”

“Morris pleaded guilty at trial. He said he regretted what he’d done. He blamed the booze. He threw himself on the mercy of the court. And got life.”

“Pete lay awake for a long time that night. Not long after, he made the biggest mistake of his life.”

“Too late now.”

“This door, like the one at 23 Sycamore Street, is standing open.”

What do all these lines have in common?

Firstly, they are all designed to encourage you to read on. Did they succeed?

Secondly, they are all the last lines of a chapter or section in a novel.

Thirdly, they are all written by a guy who knows a thing or two about suspense… author Stephen King.

They are the kind of lines which make books ‘page turners’.

You might agree with me that these are not even the best examples you can find, especially by the master of horror. (By the way, these lines are from ‘Finders Keepers’… in my opinion, better King writing can be found in his novel Duma Key, for example).

The point is this.

In marketing… your headline. Your sub-heading. Your email subject line. Every line of your copy. Each element should aspire to be a page turner.

The job of each line is simply to get the reader to read the next line. That’s it.

So the first lesson here in how to 3X the value of your marketing is to be a page turner with your copy.

Words which tell news. Words which arouse curiosity and intrigue. Words which stick like harmless tiny thistles to your jumper.

The second lesson is to make the most of any copy you write. Spread the message across more than one avenue.

We’re talking about re-purposing.

It’s an efficient way to 3X or more the value of what you write. Especially your content marketing.

What do I mean by re-purpose?

This is where you take the same content and use it more than once, in more than one platform, across more than one channel.

You squeeze the living juice out of it.

Take this blog for example. That’s one arena for the copy.

I can also take the same content and turn it into a Facebook post. A LinkedIn post or article. An email to my list. I can leave the piece as it is or shorten it, lengthen it, tweak it, change it. Fine-tuned for the medium and the intended audience.

Later down the line, these words might be used to create a help sheet, e-book, video tip, VLOG or material for an online training course.

That’s WAY more than 3X the value out of this one piece of copy.

It saves time.

It therefore saves money. It also saves hassle.

How much do you re-purpose your copy?

The third lesson today about how to 3X your copy is one entrepreneurs, experts and SME businesses may know in their head yet not fully appreciate in their minds.

Because unless you believe in what I’m about to talk about DEEP in your heart and your subconscious, it doesn’t matter what I say.

You’re unlikely to reap the full benefit of its wisdom.

You see, the question is not (to pinch and mess with a line from the Bard)…  “To 3x or not to 3X”.

No, that’s not it.

To go for QUALITY copy or not to go for quality copy.

THAT is the question.

Are you kind of person or business owner who wants to pay peanuts and pray for good things?

Or are you ‘in’ with the mantra “you get what you pay for”?

It’s no different when you’re ready to eat.

You can go fast food.

You can go mid-price standard.

You can go fine dining or Michelin star.

You make your choice. And, all things being equal, you get what you pay for.

That’s pretty much how copy works, too.

You can go Fivrr, Upwork or other low-cost freelancing sites.

You can go to a copywriting giant (the equivalents of Michelin star chefs) and hand over tens of thousands of pounds for one piece.

Or you can go somewhere in the middle. Quality and still good value and solid ROI (even if the results may not be as spectacular as the ‘giants’ produce).

You get what you pay for.

Naturally, I’m biased. I’m in the middle group. I’m always going to advise “Go for Quality” because I understand the power of words.

Copywriting is an art. A science. A process.

If you take my advice…

Be choosy and selective about the words you use. Prepare. Research. Question. Write. Review. Edit. Revise. Rinse and Repeat.

It’s a process too many players skimp on. And then they wonder why the results are not as good as they would like.

(And, by the way, if you’re yet to be convinced that words make any difference to your results, revenues and profits… there is overwhelming evidence if you are prepared to look. The longer you dawdle before you discover the truth, the more time and money you’re allowing to slip through the drain).

So, there you have it.

With the assistance of master storyteller Stephen King, I’ve shared THREE lessons with you today to 3X (or more) the value of your marketing, content and sales copy.

1. Be a page turner. Get your audience hooked, gripped and clamouring for more.

2. Re-purpose your content to save yourself time and maximise the value of your writing efforts.

3. Focus on the words you choose. Whoever is writing the copy, go for quality.

So, let me ask you a question.

How will you use this in your content, marketing and promotions?