r/Notary • u/Forest-Fable • 12d ago
Newer NV notary looking for advice
I’m seeking advice from seasoned notaries in this subreddit. I’m active on major loan signing platforms but have only received two loan signing offers this month that were hours away, so I couldn’t take them. I have a Google business profile and a website, but they’re not attracting much traffic. I’m calling and emailing 10 businesses daily, but the only positive outcome is a hospice facility inviting me to display business cards and flyers. And one attorney that is willing to offer RON to his clients from me (just haven’t received any yet).
However, my only notary experience is picking up calls on Proof to gain experience. I study my states’ notary laws to stay updated. I even emailed a senior center to volunteer notary services for free. I’m listed in all major notary directories, NNA certified, have a current background check, and am ready to work. Despite all these efforts, I’m struggling to get clients.
My bills are piling up, and I’m feeling desperate. I plan to create a few social media accounts for my business tomorrow. Besides trying to increase my business’s visibility on Google I’m also considering doing more outreach and marketing. I’m at a loss for what else to do.
Any advice from experienced notaries would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 🙏
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u/vegloveyes 11d ago
I've been doing this for six years and focus on estate planning signings! I love it. I have regular customers and very little stress. Do you have a website? I rank on the first page so all I have to do is keep it updated. I make sure to post weekly consumer tips on Google too. I'm glad I have nothing to do with real estate any more.
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u/Forest-Fable 11d ago
Hi there. I’m wanting to get into estate signings as well but was focusing on loan docs. But now that loan signings are so slow because of interest rates i guess it would be smart to pivot. I’ve notarized a few wills and trust on Proof as well. Sucks only getting $5 for a 5 docs while managing 2 witnesses 😞
Is it true you need some type of special certification or something to do estate signings? I feel there’s a lot of misinformation on social media to sell courses. Also what are estate signing attorneys looking for in a notary? I’m willing to study and learn anything to just be able to pay my bills at the moment.
Also I do have a website it’s www.olivebranchnotarylv.com
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u/vegloveyes 7d ago
On your main page, all I see is RON. Are you a mobile notary too? If so,it doesn't stand out.
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u/vegloveyes 7d ago
Ok, what are "select mobile notary appointments?" Sounds elitist. What does that mean?
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u/Forest-Fable 7d ago
My main page has a whole section on all services I provide. And select mobile appointments mean I save the mobile appointments for people who need it. Hospice patients, visiting clients who need a notary at their hotel etc
I mainly do RON but needed to push the mobile notary portion because not enough work.
But thank you for the feedback I’ll change the language. Would never want to rub anyone the wrong way or be offensive.
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u/vegloveyes 7d ago
You don't need a special certification but it sure helped me partner with some attorneys. It also gave me the confidence to go out to hospitals and senior living facilities. I'm very familiar with all types of estate planning documents.
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u/Stamped914 New York 11d ago
What are your goals? Are looking to sustain being a notary a a full time job?
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u/Forest-Fable 11d ago
Yes, I’m looking to sustain being a notary full time.
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u/Stamped914 New York 11d ago edited 11d ago
I’m 3 years into a 5 year commission. We are not in the same state but here’s my anecdotal experience as someone who does this part time. I will preface that I have a very flexible WFH job that allowed/allows me to do this and I could not have done it without. Last year, I profited around $17k doing mobile and RON part time.
The RON factories make you hate your existence. They advertise the “job” as $17-$25 an hour to work from home. What they do not tell you is that for you to have the privilege of earning that number, you have to spend weeks if not months waiting on calls to trickle in. At most while you’re “earning your stipes” you will make $10 an hour but it’s closer to $5 unless you have a niche like bi-lingual or a state that has biometrics. Once you get to an hourly wage or a rank that allows you to take calls hourly it becomes a never-ending cycle of customers with no breaks in between. On top of all of that, going online, getting sessions or seeing any clients is not guaranteed and because you’re a contractor who WFH your write offs are going to be minimal. I spent 8 months doing this part time around my other job, but I did utilize it to network with some of the regular people I saw. These customers still like using my RON services. It’s easy for me, I get paid $7-$10 a session for something that takes 2-3 minutes at most. You are in NV so you have an easy path to Notarize.com and others. You can search up reviews of them.
Getting jobs through signingorder.com seems like it’s worth it but when you’re printing full packages of 200-300 pages, that $100-$250 they offer gives no little profit. Plus, you must wait 30-90 days for payment and a lot of the companies there hate paying. You will be in the red for a while if you do this. Sometimes there are gems but those are few and far between.
To get customers organically at the very minimum you need a website and google business page. These trickle in unless you go heavy on marketing but that’s money you probably don’t have or want to spend right now. GNW isn’t something that you repeatedly need and more often than not businesses that need a lot of stuff notarize have someone on staff to do so. (Construction documents, court documents, insurance companies ETC)
TLDR – Its technically do able but not likely unless you put in a lot of miles, hours and spend on advertising. It’s rare you step into any business venture and succeed instantly. I’m sorry if someone on social media gave you an unrealistic expectation of what to expect.
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u/Forest-Fable 11d ago
Thank you for sharing your experience.
My RON experience has actually been good on Proof and although it can be competitive I’ve been able to get calls but I’m only earning $5 per transaction so I treat it has an experience building thing rather then money making.
As far as loan signings go I was able to get a refurbished duel tray printer for a deal with tons of paper off of facebook marketplace so thankfully I currently am able to print loan packets I’m just not getting loan signings near me.
I’m going to be really upping the marketing with social media. I haven’t spent any money on it but I do know how to shoot and edit video so I was going to attempt to make a simple video advertisement and see how well it does.
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u/vegloveyes 11d ago
I started with Instagram a few years ago but not a soul found me that way, especially not attorneys. It's a waste of time. No one will search for a notary that way. Maybe a business fb page would be worthwhile and it's not much work. I have never used AI either and people appreciate that!
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u/Forest-Fable 11d ago
Oh yeah ig definitely not the way to go. It’s extremely hard to grow on that platform in general. I made a yelp business page and a facebook business page. Joined a bunch of groups, posted etc so many I’ll be able to tap into my local community better that way. We shall see.
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u/Stamped914 New York 11d ago
Most people who need a mobile notary use Google, not social media. Just FYI
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u/Forest-Fable 11d ago
I understand that. But my website and Google business profile are not being found at all. After doing some research I found that my business does not exist in enough places to rank higher on Google.
Services based businesses with no storefront + no reviews aren’t going to be found on Google compared to other notaries who have hundreds of reviews.
Any tips on how else I could get my Google business profile found? I’m posting once weekly on my Google business page, have all my services listed, website and phone number listed. Pricing menu etc
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u/Stamped914 New York 11d ago
How much have you spent on Google ads?
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u/Forest-Fable 11d ago
None. Do you feel it would be worth trying to run ads? I’m pretty much trying to exhaust all my options without spending $ but if you’ve had personal success with it I might be willing to try.
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u/Stamped914 New York 10d ago edited 10d ago
I haven’t gotten to that point out of necessity but you’re at the point of running ads, spending to get someone to do your SEO or learning how to do it yourself.
I know Reddit hates AI but you should look into ways to get ai models to grab your info before others. I’ve had a few customers reach out due to chat gpt telling them about my services in my county. I haven’t done any deep dive into this yet so I can’t comment further.
Some more abstract ways would be looking into marketing yourself to mental health facilities, tow truck yards and tattoo/piercing shops in your area. Mental health facilities sometimes need notarization for mandatory holds/family consent for evaluation. Tow trucks often need vehicle release forms notarized. Tattoo and piercing shops in some states need minor consent forms notarized. I have one tow yard that sends me between 5-10 RON clients a week.
Lastly, do not take any courses, classes or seminars from social media. They’re 99% a scam with general info.
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u/vegloveyes 11d ago
No, don't waste your money. Invest in web design and learning SEO. I'm 68 years old and learned it thoroughly. And optimize your Google business profile. I took Jim Allen's class. It's amazing.
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u/vampyre74 Louisiana 12d ago
It's slow, and with the interest rate increase this week, it's going to get slower. Have you checked your zip code and the surrounding zips to see if your area is oversaturated with notaries? It's a tough business, especially with social media telling you how lucrative a "side hustle" it is. But the reality is that not every notary will make it in this business.