You searched for yellow page - Notary Blog - Signing Tips, Marketing Tips, General Notary Advice - 123notary.com
123Notary

Notary Blog – Signing Tips, Marketing Tips, General Notary Advice – 123notary.com Control Panel

October 13, 2023

Mobile Notary Advertising Tips

Filed under: (6) Marketing — Tags: — Tom Wilkins @ 12:00 am

Starting a mobile notary business can be a lucrative venture. However, to attract clients like any other business, it is essential to have an effective advertising strategy in place. Advertising need not be expensive; there are several low-cost ways to advertise a mobile notary business. In this article, we’ll explore some budget-friendly strategies that can help you get your mobile notary business noticed.

Online Presence is Key

Establishing an online presence is crucial for any business in today’s digital age. Create a professional website for your mobile notary services. You can use website builders like Wix or WordPress to create one inexpensively. Ensure to include essential information such as your contact details, services offered, and pricing.

Leverage Social Media

Utilize the potential of social media platforms to promote your mobile notary business through low-cost ways to advertise a mobile notary business. Establish profiles on well-known platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Consistently publish content related to your services, share client testimonials, and actively interact with your audience. Incorporate relevant hashtags and location tags to connect with potential clients in your vicinity.

Online Directories

List your mobile notary business on online directories and review platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, and Yellow Pages. These platforms are often used by people searching for local services. Ensure your profile is complete with accurate contact information and business details.

Networking and Partnerships

Build relationships with local businesses that might require notary services regularly. This could include real estate agencies, law firms, or financial institutions. Offer special rates or discounts for their clients, and in return, ask them to refer clients to your mobile notary services.

Utilize Free Advertising Methods

Take advantage of free advertising methods such as word of mouth and referrals. Encourage satisfied clients to spread the word about your services. Additionally, create and distribute business cards and flyers in your local community. Attend local events and meetings to network and introduce yourself to potential clients.

Email Marketing

Email marketing can be a budget-friendly approach to connect with your clients and keep them informed about your services. Gather email addresses from your clients and send newsletters or updates about your business. You can also include helpful social media tips for notaries who are related to notary services in your emails to provide additional value to your subscribers.

Content Marketing

Content is king when it comes to online advertising. Start a blog on your website and regularly publish informative articles about notary services, legal documents, and the importance of notarization. Share these articles on your social media platforms to drive traffic to your website.

Online Reviews and Testimonials

Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Positive reviews can boost your credibility and attract more clients. Respond promptly to positive and negative reviews to show your commitment to customer satisfaction.

Join Notary Associations

Consider joining local and national notary associations. These organizations often have directories where you can list your mobile notary business. Being part of such associations also enhances your professional reputation.

DIY Marketing Materials

Use online design tools or templates using Canva to create marketing materials like business cards, brochures, and flyers. You can print these materials inexpensively at local shops or online printing services.

Grow Your Mobile Notary Business Today

In conclusion, when it comes to promoting your mobile notary business, there’s no need to strain your budget. These low-cost ways to advertise a mobile notary business can serve as effective tools to showcase your services and maintain a steady influx of clients. It’s crucial to remember the significance of maintaining a professional online presence, engaging with your audience on social media, and harnessing the power of complimentary advertising methods to foster the growth of your mobile notary business.

Share
>

December 26, 2021

The most interesting people I have met in my life.

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 10:28 am

I am getting older now. I am 52, and sometimes I reflect on my life. When I was younger I met many interesting people. In high school and college I met a lot of interesting people. As I entered the work force I encountered different people from walks of life I was not so familiar with. I grew up around intellectuals and met very few blue collar types. The blue collar people in Boston are very interesting in their own way, and are famous for their sarcasm which they call “sahcasm.” Then I moved from Boston to Los Angeles and worked in the Chinese community. They are definitely a very different social group. After a few years I started being a Mobile Notary and started 123notary not long after that to market my personal services. As an adult, I meet people in bars and in the park, but I don’t meet too many people other than Notaries. But, I digress. Let me make my list.

The most interesting people I have met.

1. My father. He studied math in school and became a programmer. He always had a deeper understanding of politics, life, business, etc. He seems to have forgotten his deeper understanding in his old age and now believes all of the BS that the mainstream media feeds him. What happened?

2. My mother. She was an expert pianist and knew about music and culture from around the world. She lived with anthropologists in college who were very interesting people. And she knew people from around the world.

3. My neighbor Uri. His mother was an intellectual and they both read and read and read. He grew up in Haifa, Israel. He knew about the world, politics, and his father was engaged in international business. Uri joined his father after finishing high school. Unfortunately he had a childhood bout with cancer which caught up to him in his early forties and he died. I would say that he helped me to learn how to deal with situations and difficult people — be tough and stand my ground. Nobody teaches you that back home in our community where people are very soft.

4. My neighbor Swami. Swami speaks five languages. Tamil, English, Arabic, Japanese, and French. He probably knows other Indian dialects too. He was an expert engineer, international business person, spiritual leader (his name says it all), and more. A very interesting conversationalist to say the least. He also taught me a thing or two about cooking his way where you grind each spice separately by hand. Wow! His wife was from Japan, and he could speak to her in her language. And he specialized in selling pipes to the Saudis for their hospitals. What a specialty that was!

5. My junior high school friend Mike. Mike studied for years after high school at Harvard extension and at other schools. He has known me since childhood and can talk about any subject and make interesting points – generally contrarian points which makes the conversation interesting. We still talk regularly and it never gets boring.

6. My college hallmate Bube. His father was a big time engineer back in Tanzania where he grew up. Bube studied 12 hours a day and would not put his books down unless there was a good party. He could talk about any subject and loved studying karate. Alas, the good times are over and my college friends are long gone. I actually emailed him a few years back to see how things were going.

7. People at the wedding of my 2nd or 3rd cousin. I met lots of people from my mothers village in the middle east who I had never met before. So many people were business people and had such good stories to tell about hotels, satellites, refrigerators, etc. All business stories. The one I remember was about the guy who made millions selling refrigerators — but he doesn’t even know how to plug one in — he hires the right people. So, I had a fun time at that party. But, like all good things — they come to an end and I don’t know those people except for my aunt who also tells stories quite well.

8. Mitch. When I started 123notary, I had no idea who to hire for programming. I hired a local Chinese company. They were okay. But, they became unhelpful and then I looked in the yellow pages and found Mitch. He has been handling most of my web business ever since. We go out a few times a year and the conversation is really interesting. He is a unique thinker.

9. Carmen. Carmen and I worked together from 2003 to 2020. She took the calls for 123notary and we talked all the time. There was never a dull moment and she had a deep understanding of human nature. Not always a very positive understanding, but I like to keep it real, so that worked for me.

10. Walter. Walter is my psychic counselor. We go over health issues, spiritual issues, business and life issues. He was a monk before, and is very knowledgeable and interesting and can discuss a vast array of topics. I have never met anyone like him. If I ever die, I will remember all of the fascinating sessions I had with him and how my life was meaningful as a result.

11. My Guru. My guru that I follow now is the spirit of Yogananda. One of the most interesting people I have ever met — at least in spirit form. He understands spirituality, and shamanic healing, and much more. It is hard to communicate with spirits, but I am partially shamanic, so I can do some, and Walter (interesting person #10 on this list) can communicate for me.

12. Angels. Walter is not only an interesting person, but he helped connect me to angels. I do volunteer work for a particular angel doing psychic battle with evil spirits. We cleared out most of the evil spirits from Arizona and California. Those spirits had been plaguing the area for thousands of years and we as a team got rid of them in only five years which is amazing. But, when we channel this angel, we get amazing information about life, health, spirituality, and much more. I have never gotten such interesting and useful information from anyone. Not from any book, not from any video, and not from any living person. Sorry to freak all of you out with my relationships with the dead — but this is how I live, and it is for the best.

13. The Assassin. I met an assassin at a bar. He was from Israel (half of Israelis are probably assassins) and he does his business in Africa — otherwise he would probably get arrested. He teaches governments how to defend from sieges, or how to do sieges. This is how they live in the Middle East I guess. Interesting cocktail party conversation but wouldn’t want to live through it. The irony is that he looked like a goofy hippie. Go figure!

14. Youtube personalities. Youtube has been my connection to the world. During Covid it was my only connection. I have met so many interesting life coaches via youtube. I guess I met them but they didn’t meet me. The host of valuetainment is named Patrick Bet-David and he is one of the most interesting people and always has new topics for his videos which are commonly interviews.

15. Other Notaries & Industry People. There are a few Notaries and people I met from 123notary who were very interesting over the years. They do not make the top ten list, but they were pretty inspirational and unique. A few of them helped me with my quiz questions too which to me is very valuable.

16. My former guru and his guru. They gave me a very good grounding on life, spirituality, and prophesies. They predicted a lot of the nonsense that is going on in America and the world right and what is to come — which you won’t like. My former guru’s guru Babuji came to me in spirit forms a few times and we channeled him a few times. But, my knowledge of him is more through his books. One of the most valuable thing my former guru taught me was to live in harmony with nature. The whole world seems to want to go as far away from nature as possible with artificial light, computers, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, covid masks. But, I try to be as natural as modern society will allow, and my first guru was a good influence in this respect.

SUMMARY
I have never written a blog article quite like this, other than going over the most interesting moments in my life. I wonder what is to come. My psychic says I will do business with China starting in 2024. I hope I learn better Chinese by then and I hope it goes well.

Share
>

November 1, 2020

Names for Notary businesses that can get you in trouble

Filed under: Advertising,Popular on Linked In,Popular Overall — admin @ 7:25 am

Origionally published March 29, 2017.

In general, we recommend certain types of names for Notary businesses.

Geo-Keywords
The name can include a geographical keyword such as the name of your city, state, or region such as Los Angeles Notary Services or Koreatown Mobile Notary.

Professional Keywords
It can also be more professional oriented such as Karen’s Signing Services, or Notary Pro to Go. One successful Notary used the name After Hours Notary, At Your Service Mobile Notary, Notary at your Door, etc.

But, what if you got yourself in trouble picking the wrong name?
Many Notaries use generic business names that nobody will associate with the profession like LMT Services. I would not want to hire them to be my Notary because their name doesn’t gel with the profession. You need what I call anchor keywords to tie in your business with the work being done and/or the area it is being done.

Names that might get you in trouble!
You could also name your business First American Notary and probably get sued by one of our nation’s largest title companies. If you used the same name a signing company used, that causes trouble too. Many companies pick names that are very similar to other company names and get mistaken for each other. National Signers, National Signing Solutions, National Notary Service, Signing National, etc. You can see. So, if you pick a name, try to avoid using words that other services use. Be unique, classy, and relevant to your profession and perhaps to your area. You could use a hotel-like strategy for naming your business like Comfort Notary, Quality Notary, or Holiday Notary. I don’t think those names would serve you well, but who knows. Then there is USA Notary which is too generic and national and not specific to a particular area. Canada Notary would be in the wrong country. Inuit Notary would be good in Alaska, but not anywhere else. Hopi Notary might be good in Arizona, but the tribal leaders might object — just make sure they don’t put a curse on you! Star Notary Service is too generic, but what about Celebrity Notary Service? Royal Notary doesn’t make sense because we have no royalty in America.

Here are some names of Notary businesses our Notaries have:

A1 Notary Services — Will get you up high in the yellow pages. But, might get you confused with steak sauce.
Bay Area Notary — Great name, and has been in business for over a decade.
SOMA Mobile Notary — What does SOMA stand for?
Golden Gate Mobile Notary & Apostille — Sounds like they definitely go to Marin County.
Affordable Notary — Will they be classy enough for my needs?
The Notary To Call — This one has 33 reviews. Sounds like they really are the Notary to Call.
TheBestNotary.Net — He did well with his business.
Arden Mobile Notary Service — It’s a name, but not flashy.
Diamond Star Notaries — Okay
Sunshine Notary Service — Warm and inviting, but do they do late night service?
Dash Notary — Sounds like a good bet if you are in a hurry.
CA Notary Services — They did well in business, but California is a huge state. I prefer a more pinpointed regional name.
One-Call Closing Services, LLC — Exciting. You just call them once and the job is as good as done.
On Call Closing Services — They are waiting for you. Sounds like they take their phone to bed with them.
Denver Metro Notary — A geographically informative name. I know their coverage areas just by the name alone.
Signed-N-Sealed — Very professional sounding.
I & S Notary and Wedding Services, LLC — I’d prefer IB + SD Notary & Wedding; sounds more romantic.
D & D Document — Easy to remember and gets to the point.
1-2-3 Spanish Notary — I prefer 1-2-3 Notary en Espanol if you want to appeal to the prospective clients.
Mobile Notary Services — Very generic; bad name! Probably not even registered with the county clerk.
The S and S Group — Sounds like they don’t do notary work as their main forte.
Indiana Mobile Closers — Statewide coverage? Cool
Notary Mobile Plus — Gets the idea across.
C & S Mobile Closers — Sounds like a generic name like JB Trucking.
Drive by Notary — Sounds like they do notary jobs but do drive by shootings on the side.
DJ Mobile Notary — Someone’s initials at use here.
Emily The Notary — Classy and charming.

So, what are my favorite names?
Emily The Notary — This is a personal and easy to remember name that connects you with the person’s name and what they do. It is simple for the brain to process too.
Dash Notary — This name captures the character of our industry. We live on the edge, always ready to rush off to a signing at the last minute. It is not so different from the term Minute Man which is popular in Massachusetts where we used to have Minute Men.
Golden Gate Mobile Notary & Apostille — This name incorporates a world-class local geographical icon with the notary business. Very classy and relevant to our profession, but with a $6 toll going South (ouch.)

What are your favorite names? Feel free to comment!

.

You might also like:

Choosing a name for a business license
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7103

You could get sued if you don’t have a business license
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7100

The notary profession is a profession – act like it is!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19598

When did Notary Cafe become decaffeinated?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20770

Share
>

November 13, 2019

How can I find a Cantonese speaking notary public?

Filed under: Public Interest — Tags: , — admin @ 5:45 am

Where can I find a Cantonese speaking notary public?

At 123notary.com, we receive all types of inquiries from many types of people all the time. Where can I find Roger Smith, he is a notary in Louisiana? He notarized a document for me a year ago, and now I can’t find him. I refer the inquirer to the Louisiana notary division, since they have the addresses of all currently commissioned notaries in the state. I also get a few people asking me where they can find a notary in India, or Thailand. I refer them to the embassy, or ask them to find an attorney in the country in question. I give sensible advice, and steer people the right direction, but honestly, I don’t have a lot of information myself that is good for answering most of the questions I get. The harder requests are requests that I would LIKE to be able to fulfill, but sometimes it’s hard.

Where can I find a Cantonese speaking notary?
123notary.com has many bilingual notaries. You can use the LANGUAGE FILTER on the top right of the search results page after you do a search by zip code. Many of our bilingual notaries are Cantonese Speaking notaries, however, they are all spread out. You might find many Cantonese speaking notaries in any big city, but we have relatively few advertising on our site. You can do a search by zip code and then use the language filter on the upper right side of the page. Try inputting the term Cantonese, and then try Chinese as a second search. See what happens. I cannot guarantee results because people join our directory daily, and change their language information from time to time, and drop out from time to time as well.

If you can’t find a Cantonese speaking notary on 123notary…. then…
The document signer needs to speak the same language as the notary in California and many other states. As a practice, even if your state doesn’t require it, the signer should be able to communicate directly with the notary. You could try the Chinese yellow pages, or ask around in your metro’s Chinatown. There will be plenty of Cantonese Chinese speaking notaries, but they might not advertise much as their business might come from word of mouth or 朋友推薦朋

It is common for Cantonese speaking people who function mainly in Cantonese 廣東話 to pick service providers who also speak their language. However, this might not be a good idea. If your English is “Good enough”, you might be better off with an English speaking notary who is really good at what they do, and who is familiar with commonly notarized affidavits and documents. Just my opinion. Choose the skill set before you choose the cultural affinity if you have a choice!

To find a Mandarin speaking notary, just look up Mandarin in the language filter on search results. To find a Taiwanese speaking notary, just look up Taiwanese in the language filter. To find a Cantonese speaking notary, just type the word Cantonese in the language filter in the upper right corner of the search result pages. Honestly, the word “Chinese” will give you much wider results than these dialect names, but in NYC or San Francisco, you might find the dialect of your choice! 祝你好運

You might also like:

How to find a bilingual notary public
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2520

Notarizing your foreign language document
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2768

Share
>

October 18, 2019

Where can I find a Mandarin speaking Notary?

Filed under: Public Interest — Tags: — admin @ 11:30 pm

Where can I find a Mandarin speaking notary public?

At 123notary.com, we receive all types of inquiries from many types of people all the time. Where can I find Roger Smith, he is a notary in Louisiana? He notarized a document for me a year ago, and now I can’t find him. I refer the inquirer to the Louisiana notary division, since they have the addresses of all currently commissioned notaries in the state. I also get a few people asking me where they can find a notary in India, or Thailand. I refer them to the embassy, or ask them to find an attorney in the country in question. I give sensible advice, and steer people the right direction, but honestly, I don’t have a lot of information myself that is good for answering most of the questions I get. The harder requests are requests that I would LIKE to be able to fulfill, but sometimes it’s hard.

Where can I find a Mandarin speaking notary?
123notary.com has many bilingual notaries. You can use the LANGUAGE FILTER on the top right of the search results page after you do a search by zip code. Many of our bilingual notaries are Mandarin Chinese Speaking notaries, however, they are all spread out, and there are dialects too. Someone who knows Min-Nan-Yu only might not be fluent in Hakka for example. These are Southern dialects from Guang-Dong and Southern Fu-Jian by the way. The more common dialects are Mandarin, Cantonese, and Taiwanese in American metros. You might find many Cantonese speaking notaries in any big city, but we have relatively few advertising on our site. You can do a search by zip code and then use the language filter on the upper right side of the page. Try inputting the term Cantonese, and then try Chinese as a second search. See what happens. I cannot guarantee results because people join our directory daily, and change their language information from time to time, and drop out from time to time as well.

If you can’t find a Mandarin speaking notary on 123notary…. then…
The document signer needs to speak the same language as the notary in California and many other states. As a practice, even if your state doesn’t require it, the signer should be able to communicate directly with the notary. You could try the Chinese yellow pages, or ask around in your metro’s Chinatown. There will be plenty of Mandarin speaking notaries, but they might not advertise much as their business might come from word of mouth or (peng-you tui-jian gao-su peng-you) as the case might be.

It is common for Chinese people who function mainly in Mandarin Chinese to pick service providers who also speak their language. However, this might not be a good idea. If your English is “Good enough”, you might be better off with an English speaking notary who is really good at what they do, and who is familiar with commonly notarized affidavits and documents. Just my opinion. Choose the skill set before you choose the cultural affinity if you have a choice!

To find a Mandarin speaking notary, just look up Mandarin in the language filter on search results. To find a Taiwanese speaking notary, just look up Taiwanese in the language filter. To find a Cantonese speaking notary, just type the word Cantonese in the language filter in the upper right corner of the search result pages. Honestly, the word “Chinese” will give you much wider results than these dialect names, but in NYC or San Francisco, you might find the dialect of your choice! “Zhu ni hao yun!”.

You might also like:

Where can I find a Cantonese speaking notary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1640

How do I get a foreign language document notarized?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18788

Share
>

March 15, 2018

Notary Marketing 102 — Notary Advertising

Filed under: Loan Signing 101 — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 7:36 am

Return to Notary Marketing 102 Contents

.

The state of Notary advertising is always changing. Sites go up and down in popularity, and change their policies and business models. 2018 is no exception to this rule. The most popular several sites have changed a little bit in the last few years. Here is my current analysis of the various popular sites.

Also Read:
The State of Notary Advertising in 2016

How much should a Notary spend on advertising?

.

123notary.com – for the best quality notaries!
123notary leads the pack in terms of attracting the highest quantity of work from higher paying Title & Escrow companies. The reason for this is that 123notary has higher quality standards than any other site. 123notary offers many sophisticated and practical search filters as well. Search by city, county, zip or state and filter for hospital jobs, languages, certified notaries, and more options as well.

Self-praising Notaries who think they know everything are rudely awakened by Jeremy’s quizzes to the fact that their knowledge doesn’t cut it in the industry and that they need to study more. Quality control involves making people regularly log in to their listing, keep their notes updated, study and prove their knowledge. The result of this constant attention to quality is a far higher quality and consistency of search results on 123notary. Notaries who like the idea of constantly improving their knowledge will most likely love 123notary. Those who are anti-knowledge and anti-responsibility might not.

123notary requires all Notaries to log in to their listing every 120 days and also to maintain a good notes section and get a 70% on a Notary Quiz administered by phone or a higher grade if administered by email. 123notary realizes that nobody is perfect and we have to be flexible with our requirements, but we want to deliver the best possible search to the users, and this is why we stress quality control.

.

Snapdocs.com — an upcoming star
Snapdocs attracts the greatest volume of signings of any directory, but the pay is normally very very low. They have great technology and great search algorithms. The downside is that their Notaries are mostly of a very poor quality. Notaries on Snapdocs normally get paid lower than any other site. However, there are a few who are able to negotiate good fees. I know some of those Notaries personally, and they merit better fees. If you want to get paid well, please consider adapting your knowledge and professionalism to merit good fees. Please also consider that certain directories attract a higher volume of jobs with high fees.

.

NotaryRotary.com — a good directory that is slowly losing steam
I would estimate that Notary Rotary is getting roughly 10% of the market share of signings and signings from that site are in all price ranges based on what I have heard. Notary Rotary used to be a big contender in the Notary industry. More recently, according to what I have heard, people are getting less and less work from them in 2018. Notary Rotary has a higher quality of Notaries than most sites and caters to finding Notaries in order of proximity which is helpful. Their fees for sign up are reasonable and they have great Notary supplies, insurance and a popular forum.

.

NotaryCafe.com
Notary Cafe has been around for decades and has always attracted some business. The format of their site has changed over the years. I would estimate they get about 5% of the market share for signings. Notary Cafe has a search algorithm which seems to integrate proximity, and how recently you logged into your listing. It is well organized. However, the quality of the Notaries is not as good as 123notary or Notary Rotary.

.

SigningAgent.com
The NNA runs SigningAgent.com and this site has the highest quantity of Notaries of any other directory. However, the overall quality of the Notaries on their site is inconsistent. This site is maintained well and has great search features, filters for edocuments, certification, and a flexible radius. Many Notaries like to advertise on this site, but the volume of business it attracts is limited.

.

Google Local
In addition to marketing on purely Notary sites, many notaries do well advertising on Google Local. Google Local will get you nearby customers for all types of Notary work.

.

Other Online Advertising
Yelp, and online Yellow Pages. If you want to do paid listings on online yellow pages, start with a small investment and see what rate of return you get before investing a lot; otherwise you might not get any return on a larger investment. I am unaware of how successful Yelp is, but some Notaries do get work from them, and the reviews really attract business to your listing.

.

Manual Promotion
It is wise to call Title companies and give them your information. You can also contact hospitals, convalescent homes, Real Estate offices, law offices, jails, people who visit jails, and anyone else who might need a Notary. Handing out cards to strangers, customers, and office-mates of customers is a very effective marketing technique. Some Notaries have price sheets which is fine, but the most important is a business card.

.

Summary
So, whom should you advertise with? Start with 123notary and Snapdocs. But, maintaining your listings is as important as who you advertise with. So, read the other sections of this course to learn how to optimize your listings and say the right things to attract the best clients.

.

Share
>

March 6, 2017

How do I advertise as a Notary Public?

Filed under: Advertising,Popular on Linked In — Tags: — admin @ 9:34 pm

General Advertising
If you are a Notary Public or a Mobile Notary Public, it is critical that clients know how to find you. Some Notaries have a store front. In such a case, you just put a large sign saying Notary Public. You could put a sign on your car saying Notary Public and a phone number as well. It’s generally a good idea to pass our business cards to people in the neighborhood or your town so they know where to go if they need a Notary. Additionally hospitals and nursing homes need Notaries regularly.

Yellow Pages
The yellow pages online and offline sometimes get good results for Mobile Notaries although not always.You can gets out various yellow pages and see which ones get results.

Online Directories
These days, the way mobile notaries get most of their work is through online directories. 123notary, Notary Rotary, and Snapdocs and the three most popular in 2016. 123notary offers free listings, but also has paid listings where you can be at the top of the list in your area. Notary Rotary also has free and paid listings and lists Notaries in order of proximity to the zip code being queried. Snapdocs charges the Lender or Signing Company a small fee ($8 last I heard) to seach for a Notary and send docs using their system. Snapdocs pays Notaries the least and has cattle calls via text to alert mass amounts of Notaries for each job. But, on a brighter note, it is a great opportunity for newer Notaries to get work.

Websites
A Notary website of your own can be a huge money drain. On the other hand, it is a great way to show the world you are serious about the business and show all of your specialties, contact information, and more.

That is pretty much it as far as how you advertise as a Notary Public. If you have any further questions, email us at info@123notary.com

.

You might also like:

Additions to policies regarding listings, certification and elite
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19431

Notary Marketing 102 – a comprehensive guide to marketing your services
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19774

Share
>

May 9, 2016

Best Marketing Resources for Notaries

Filed under: Marketing Articles,Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (some) — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:19 am

Are you a mobile Notary? Do you want to expand your business? It’s hard to get a lot of Notary business, especially in this economy. However, if you play your cards right, you can do amazingly well. Here are some of our best marketing articles for the new or veteran Notary to get ahead.

.

ACTIVE MARKETING
Please consider that you need ACTIVE marketing as well as PASSIVE marketing. Active marketing involves contacting signing and title companies one by one in addition to Attorneys, hospitals, and anyone else you wish to work for. Active marketing will be more labor intensive in the beginning of your career as you do not start out by being on any organization’s list. However, once you are on the lists of at least 200 companies, then you will most likely be spending more of your time working and less of your time looking for work.

Also Read: How to start a successful mobile notary business from scratch
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13340

Getting on board with Title & Signing Companies
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14851

Dormant Contacts
Even after you are on the list of a company, you still need to contact them from time to time to just let them know you exist and want to work. We suggest that when Notary business is slow in the beginning of the month you schedule time to call your contacts who are dormant in hopes that they might actually use you one day.

Requirements for work
* Certain big title companies like Chicago Title require 500,000 E&O Insurance
* Other title companies want 100,000 E&O
* Some Notaries show off by having a million in E&O which is expensive and makes you a target for lawsuits.
* Others want a current background check from a reputable vendor such as the NNA or Sterling, but not necessarily from the other vendors.
* Some want vast experience as a Notary while others prefer beginners who will work for cheap. If you work for companies that hire beginners they will micromanage you. If you are tired of being micromanaged, try to work directly for companies that hire experienced and reliable Notaries.

Is an NNA background check really necessary to get work?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10385

Certifications
Many companies like it when Notaries are certified. But, there are many vendors offering certification and which one is the best? NNA certification is the most widespread and widely recognized in the industry. But, on 123notary, people looking to hire Notaries pick 123notary certified members more then twice as often as they pick Notaries who aren’t. My suggestion is to be certified by three or more agencies — that way you’ve covered all of the bases and will make quite an impression.

Printers
As a Notary, you should have a fast and reliable printer and perhaps a backup printer. Dual tray laser printers are the standard tool of seasoned Notaries. Single tray printers might be okay if you have software to figure out what size paper is for which document. Some Notaries print everything on legal although some Lenders might not appreciate that.

Professional Dress
Business casual is the official dress code for Notaries. No shorts, flip flops, tank tops, jeans or torn clothing please.

Low-Ball Offers
As a Notary, you will receive a lot of low-ball offers. Notaries complain endlessly about this. If you are not an experienced Notary, low-ball offers might be your ticket to getting experience. Personally, I feel that new Notaries do not merit high paying Notary jobs and should work for low fees. However, once you have educated yourself in the “art of the signing” and have paid your dues by accumulating an experience of more than 2000 loans, you should get paid at least an average of $110 per signing otherwise something is very wrong. The economy does change over time and wages change too, so be flexible and work for whatever people will pay you.

Related Content: Low-Ball Signing Companies? How to get biz directly from Title
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14950

Cattle Call Notary Offers
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9841

Setting Prices
Notaries need to be flexible and realistic about what they charge. Some Notaries are too snobby to take low paying jobs and end up starving. Other Notaries take too many low paying jobs and miss out on the good jobs because they are too busy working for peanuts and then spending their profits on gas, toner, paper, and other expenses. You need a sophisticated model for pricing that incorporates the time of the month (month-end is busier and should be more expensive) distance, timing, traffic, and how many pages the job will be.

* Base your prices on how long you estimate a job to take including traffic.
* Lower your prices at the beginning of the month when business is slow
* Expect to be paid poorly until you have at least 1000 loans signed
* To get paid well, you need a constant supply of regular clients who pay well which you accumulate over time
* You need to advertise heavily to get a constant supply of new clients in hopes that some will become regulars.
* You need to be on time, be nice, not make mistakes and get docs back on time to get rehired.
* Base job time on the name lf the Lender as packages from particular banks are normally a particular (+/-) number of pages and then factor in traffic on the route you’ll take at that particular time of the day, night or weekend.

.

PASSIVE MARKETING
Passive marketing involves advertising on directories. Once your ad is out there, companies can find you. However, not all advertisements attract the same amount of business, and not all Notary directories are equal. Online yellow pages are yet another way to advertise as well as Google local, however we do not know much about the results of such advertising. Passive marketing is very powerful as you get motivated buyers calling you when they really need something done. However, most Notaries are neglectful in the creation and maintenance of their advertisements and do not get the full potential of their investment. A good Notary profile has reviews from satisfied clients, certifications, and a powerful and well organized notes section. You need to do everything right to maximize your results.

Where to advertise
123notary, Notary Rotary, Notary Cafe, and Signingagent.com are the four most powerful players in the Notary advertising business — in that order. You should advertise on all four with a paid listing. 123notary offers high placed listings. We suggest that you pass our certification before investing in a high placed listing. High placed listings get you more business as well as better quality (and better paying) Title company jobs — and it means that you will be seen first before people start scrolling deep and shopping around.

How to create an amazing notes section
We have written many articles on this overlooked topic which you should read and study. If you want to get ahead, become an expert at the art of the notes section. Companies read what you have to say about yourself, and if you have very little to say, or just a bunch of fluff, you are not likely to get hired. Notaries who do well have thorough and factual information about themselves that is neatly organized into paragraphs. They cover their areas of expertise, certifications, professional memberships, equipment, notes about what is unique about how they handle business, segments on their professional history before they were a Notary particularly if it has some sort of business or Mortgage related relevance, and more.

Everything you need to know about writing a good notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16074

2014 excerpts from great notes sections
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13613

Being 24 hours helps a lot
If you want to get more business, offer service to more counties, and during more hours. It is just common sense — do the math. Some Notaries only want to service their home county during their “flexible” hours of 9-5 while others are 24 hours and cover eighteen counties. If you need to sleep, then limit your hours from 6am to midnight, but the more flexible you are, the more business you can accumulate.

Reviews are essential
We have written many blog entries on reviews and are publishing a comprehensive guide to reviews as well around the same time I publish this article. The important concepts to remember are:

* Six reviews will double your new business from our site
* After you have six reviews you will get a small marginal benefit from each additional review
* Well written reviews count more
* Don’t get multiple reviews the same day or it looks like you wrote them yourself
* Reviews that are three or more years old do not benefit you much, so always get new reviews.
* You might need to ask ten people to get a single review, but it’s worth it.
* Signing & Title companies are horrible about writing reviews since everybody bugs them to do it
* Individuals are easier to get reviews from, so do some jobs for individuals
* Ask for a review when someone compliments you on your work otherwise don’t ask.
* Email requests for reviews in addition to asking in person. Email them a LINK to your review page. That will take the work out of trying to find the page which I assure you people don’t have the time or patience to do.

Related Reading: A comprehensive guide to reviews
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16290

Company Names
It will help you to have a company name in the long run. But, think long and hard about what you name your Notary business. Names with geographical significance are recommended. Names with notorial or Mortgage significance might be good. General business names that are not relevant to this industry might not be ideal.

Choosing a name for your business license
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7103

Keep your information up to date
Many Notaries create a listing and forget about it. Your listing is like a plant — it needs to be watered and trimmed from time to time otherwise it will wither. Login to your listing every few months, we require it, and it is good for the popularity of your listing. Browsers can see the date you last logged in. If you login more regularly you’ll attract browsers that care about how well you maintain your listing. After all, if you neglect your listing, you might neglect their loan! Update your # of signings and touch up your notes section regularly with anything new that you learned or any new way you have of expressing yourself. You can also email us for free help with your notes section — and yes, we do free notary notes makeovers.

.

ADDITIONAL READING

General Marketing

Long term marketing plans
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15793

I signed up with 200 companies only to get work twice
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15445

Notary Advertising

Unique notary notes phrases from the Ninja course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14690

7 ways to use Facebook to market your notary services
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=5396

Pricing & Income

$40 for a signing 72 miles away?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14959

What is the difference between getting 16 clicks per day & 100+?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13185

How much more does a 123notary certified signer make?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15392

Here is another way to make $4000 more per year
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14162

Is $75 enough to print 2 sets of docs & do faxbacks?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10369

He made $35,000 a month his first year in business
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3894

Other

Which tasks can you do which are worth $1000 per minute?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4113

123notary behind the scenes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2499

.

Share
>

December 16, 2014

A forged document vs. a forged notary seal?

Filed under: Legal Issues,Popular on Facebook (A little),Technical & Legal — Tags: , , — admin @ 7:25 am

What if the document was forged.
Imagine that you are a notary public who just got in huge trouble for notarizing a forged document. It is not your responsibility to know that the document was forged. It is only your responsibility to know that the person who was documented as signing the document appeared before you, proved their identity, and signed the document before you notarized it.

Forged Identification
Or what if the ID used for the notarization was forged? You can still take journal thumbprints and that can get you off the legal hook a lot faster if you keep a record of those thumbprints. But, what about a forged notary seal?

E&O won’t help unless you made an error.
Some notaries think that since they have Errors & Omissions insurance that they will be covered. But, does E&O cover legal expenses? The real problem is that E&O will probably say that the notary didn’t make any errors — it was someone else who forged their seal. Therefore it is a criminal matter, and the notary in question is not at fault — providing you can prove that the notary seal indeed was forged.

If your notary seal was forged, how would you prove it?
My notary seal’s impression was copied onto an Acknowledgment form. The notary’s handwriting on the form didn’t match mine at all and they didn’t cross out the his/her/their or the (s) on the certificate either proving that they were not me, and most likely not a notary (at least not a good notary.) If the borders on the seal don’t match yours, that is another clue. If you don’t have a journal entry of the transaction, that might void the notarization entirely in certain states — not sure what the law says about that one. But, it could constitute proof that you didn’t do the notarization in question if there is no journal entry, assuming that you always keep a sequential journal entry of all notarial transactions.

What if you are sued?
Unfortunately, as a notary, if you are sued for fraud, or being involved with fraud, you could lose $20,000 in legal expenses only to be proven innocent. You lose, even if you win. E&O insurance won’t protect you if you are not at fault. So, if you are falsely accused because someone else did fraud including a seal forger, a corrupt Title Officer, or someone else, you can get in big trouble. It is best to try to reason with the plaintiff and prove to them through whatever evidence that you have that you are not one of the parties to be blamed. You can also tell them that you will counter sue for legal expenses and time lost if proven not guilty.

Identifying the fraud
One of the issues in catching a fraudulent impostor notary is that they are hard to catch. The only people who have seen them would be notary customers. Those customers would have found the person’s number online or in the yellow pages or through a referral. Notary clients very rarely check the ID of the notary, so the notary could be an impostor and get away with it for a while without being caught. But, why would an impostor notarize many people. Chances are that the impostor notary would be well acquainted with the individual who forged loan documents, or could be the same person which means that nobody would see him or catch him. If he forged the signature of the borrower as well, then it gets very complicated. Three forgeries in one! If they forge a notary seal, the forged seal might have the name of a real notary on it. In such a case, the real notary would be able to prove through his journal that he never notarized that forged document. Additionally, the forger would have to not only forge the signature of the borrower, but also of that particular notary which would require quite some skill. I always used an embosser that left a raised seal in the document. A fraud would have to be pretty clever to forge my seal and my embosser and use it like I did — and in the one case where my seal was forged, they didn’t have the brains to do it correctly and got caught (but, not necessarily prosecuted – or at least I was not informed of what happened after the fact.)

.

You might also like:

Fraud & Forgery related to the Notary Profession
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2294

An absurd forgery of MY notarization
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19974

Facial recognition techniques can help you spot fake ID
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20242

Penalties for notary misconduct and fraud
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21315

Share
>

September 19, 2014

How to become a successful mobile notary from scratch

Filed under: Marketing Articles,Popular on Facebook (comments),Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (very),Popular Overall — Tags: — admin @ 8:57 am

Anyone can become a successful mobile notary. The field is wide open. On the other hand, since it is so easy to become a mobile notary, many people do it which causes a lot of low priced competition. However, those who are very good at this profession seem to do well with it even in bad times. As of 2014, business is slow, but you can still have a nice part time income doing mobile notary work. Additionally, eventually the industry will pick up, and you might find yourself earning more money than you expected!

Step 1. Become a Notary
If you are not a notary, you can easily become one. It is a bit harder in CA, NY, LA, and FL where there are examinations, but talk to your state notary division about how you can become a notary for your state.

Step 2. Learn the ropes: Jail, Hospital & Mortgage Signings
Being a mobile notary is more than just hauling your stamp around with you in your car. You need to know how to handle typical situations that mobile notaries have to deal with. Mobile notaries who do well typically are experts at jail signings, hospital signings, and loan signings. Notaries who work in an office don’t need to know much about jail signings, because inmates can’t come to you, and neither can those with an IV tube stuck up their arm. But, if you are on the road, these are situations you have to know about. There are many identification and communication issues associated with jail and hospital signings that can get you in trouble if you don’t know. On the other hand, you can make a huge travel fee doing these types of specialized mobile notary tasks that the other notaries don’t know how to do (or want to.)

Mortgage signings
Signing loans can earn you big bucks. Signers make anywhere from $50 to $150 per signing. Fees fluctuate with the market and depend on who you are doing business with and how good you are. If you have a lot of experience and have many loyal contacts, you can set your minimum fee at $100 or $125 per loan signing if you are any good. You will need to know some basic Mortgage terms, and know the basics about 10-20 basic documents. You need to know where to look for the Rate, APR, prepayment penalty, when the first payment is due, where the fees are, and other basic information. You need to know how to handle name variations, initialing and borrower objections to problems in the loan. You need to know who to call when a loan signing is on the rocks. Signing loans is not rocket science, but there are concepts you need to Master.

Take our course!
http://www.123notary.com/loan_signing_courses.html
How can you learn about all of these complicated and scary types of signings? 123notary offers a comprehensive loan signing course that covers all of these issues in detail. Additionally, you can get free detailed information in our blog about all of these topics. Just browse around the categories on the right and read to your heart’s content!

Step 3: Active Marketing
Getting work as a mobile notary is a bit hard at first, but you can do it. Contact a dozen or more signing & title companies each week and get on their list. They will want copies of various types of information and a signed contract, so ask them what they want, and give it to them. You can also give your business card out to local nursing homes, hospitals, Real Estate offices, law offices and anyone else you can think of who might need a mobile notary.

Step 4: Passive Marketing
Advertising on the major directories is a good practice. Notaries often ask on Linked In which directory they should join. My standard answer is to join all of them, but not necessarily to pay for all of them. The strongest players in 2014 are 123notary.com, NotaryRotary, NotaryCafe, and SigningAgent.com lost a lot of steam recently, but is still in the game. If you join other directories, I don’t recommend paying for them as they don’t have a good track record. You can go on Linked In to research what the notaries say are the better notary directories too for an unbiased point of view. Hard copy yellow pages for your local area may or may not get you work — it is worth a try if you are serious though.

Being listed on the big directories is not enough. You need to maintain your listing like a pro. Fortunately for you, I am here to offer you free mentoring by email, so don’t panic! You need a well written notes section, a company name helps, reviews from your satisfied clients, and try to pass as many certifications as you can.

Step 5: Who to get certified by?
My rule is that you get certified by every loan signing directory that you pay to advertise with — even if that means that you get certified five times. I am currently recommending:

(1) NNA’s certification as it is an industry standard
(2) 123notary’s certification if you get paid advertising with us as notaries who get this get 2.5x the work from our directory
(3) notary2pro’s certification (although not an industry standard) is very high quality, they offer hand holding, and the learning you will get from it justifies the cost.

Step 6: Screen companies you work for
Many signing agents drop out because they worked for the wrong companies, didn’t get paid, and suffered financially. Don’t let this happen to you! Use our list of signing companies (which includes reviews) and avoid working for signing companies with a high ratio of negative reviews. Additionally, don’t do too many jobs for a particular company until they have paid you for previous jobs. Decide ahead of time how much credit you are going to give them and don’t let them run up a bill beyond your limit.

Step 7: Become an expert at scheduling and negotiating
You need to be constantly refining your skills to do well in this business. Although there is a lot of competition, few of them have refinement. Scheduling is a hard task, and you need to juggle when the e-Documents are supposed to come, when your signing is, and when the next signing is. e-Documents don’t always come on time, so learn to juggle well. Negotiating good fees is also an art form, so pay attention to our blog articles as from time to time we have articles about how to negotiate.

Step 8: Get a high spot on 123notary
We make our money selling high spots on our directory. We generally discourage people from getting a high spot until they have passed our certification test and have at least a review or two. But, if you are serious and want to get ahead, call us and ask how you can get a high placement in your area. We are often very flexible and offer six month trials to those just starting out. The Title & Escrow companies who use our site know that those who purchase high spots on our directory are serious, and those notaries generally get a lot more quality jobs from our site than those with low spots.

Professional backgrounds that help
If you have a background in Mortgage, Escrow, Loan Origination, or Lending, this can really help you do better in the mobile notary business as you will be working a lot with Mortgage documents. However, don’t fool yourself into thinking you know more than you know. Many Mortgage Brokers assure me that they know their stuff and don’t need my test. When I ask them simple loan signing questions over the phone, they can only answer half of the easy ones. Go back and study and master the art of the signing. Your background does help you, but your over-confident attitude can really ruin your career. Additionally, it is very different being on the Notary side of the table than it is being on the Lender or Broker side of the table. Try to learn this profession from out point of view.

Real Estate backgrounds do not help as much as Real Estate Brokers claim. You are not anywhere near as familiar with the documents as you claim. As a matter of fact, those with Real Estate experience cannot answer simple loan signing questions any better than those with no Mortgage or Real Estate experience. Approach this profession as a beginner and learn the ropes one by one. The people skills you learn from being a Realtor on the other hand, can really help you. General business skills and being businesslike help more than any technical knowledge you may have acquired in your former professional life.

Don’t be afraid to ask if you need help
And as always, 123notary is there to help! If you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask!

.

You might also like:

Notary Marketing 102
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19774

20 stories about animals at signings
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3074

Best marketing resources for Notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16322

Beginner Notaries 103 reading list for new notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21120

Share
>
Older Posts »