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How to make it easy for a great new client to find you online

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Services for Real Estate Pros

I'm writing about this so you can learn what professionals expect and look for when they want the best notary in the area.

I've been getting a new type of client: business attorneys and real estate professionals who hire me to find the best notaries in their area and train them in marketing to help bring clients in. They find my website, my profile on ActiveRain, and gossip about the notary marketing books I sell.

Attorneys, especially, want marketing-savvy notaries to help bring in new clients.

I start by Googling the word notary and the town of my client in this way: +notary +"New Orleans" +LA

Then I look at the last line of each search engine result in the free (no paid ads) section. That last line tells me if the notary has a unique domain name or is part of a notary directory.

I want the notary to have their own dedicated website and it cannot be an add-on site like the ones at NotaryNet or FreeWebs.

I am impressed when I find notaries with dedicated websites AND profiles on ActiveRain. I read their website, ActiveRain, and GoMobileNotary profile carefully.

I am looking for a few years of experience, full time availability, and number and types of loans signed.

I read the profile to see if the writing is informative, clear, and error-free.

If there is a photograph of the notary, I look for "normal," good grooming, and casual-professional attire. "Normal" means no crazy hair or any odd, cute, or sexy facial expressions. (Lots of ladies need to change their photos.) If there is no photo, I politely request that a recent one be emailed to me.

I was recently asked to search for a notary in a large southern California city. I knew there must be several hundred notaries within a half hour drive of the client's office. I found only SIX I thought worth contacting via email.

To get found by the best potential repeat clients, follow the above guidelines. (And please don't contact me to say you would love to be on my list. This is a huge country and I only get a few of these requests a month.)

Good luck!

Comments(4)

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Terry Lynch
LAR Notary and Closing Services - Saint Clair Shores, MI

Hi Laura

I have been a notary for 12 years and a REALTOR for 17. I have conducted over 5000 real estate closings. I have just put my real estate license into a holding company and will concentrate on my closing business. Your post is a great blueprint for the website I'm creating.

I am curious though, why you don't follow your own advice and have a photo on your profile or your website?

Mar 31, 2009 02:44 PM
Laura Vestanen
Bellingham, WA
My book "Notary Marketing 2019" is on Amazon.com

Hi, Terry

Actually I never advise people to post a photo of themselves, especially women.

For women, it is a safety issue.  There are some very attractive ladies who could be preyed upon for mobile notary assignments where the client has very different activity in mind. 

I know a lovely young woman in the Los Angeles area that had this happen to her.  She hasn't had any problems since she removed her photos from her website and other places on the internet.

I think it is OK for men to post photos when they are very professional, like your picture.  But very few notaries can afford $500 or so for a professional shoot.

So they post a mediocre-at-best picture and they look unprofessional.

Another reason to not post a photo is to thwart discrimination.  I would hate to have someone pass over a notary based on her race or age.  People can look at my website, etc, text and call me on the phone to get an idea of my professionalism.

But when I want to hire someone distant (who I will probably never meet in person) to train to work for a lawyer or real estate agent many years, I want to see a picture so I can put my Psychology degree and my intuition to use.  It's a skill / minor gift that I have.  If I didn't have this ability, I would just ask my client to quickly interview each notary before I started to train them just to make certain they were as professional and smart as they sounded on the phone.

An attorney once showed me a photo portrait of his family.  The three sons were all in their forties.  Clothing was suit and tie with mum in a nice dress.  The lawyer asked me to tell him about the people in the picture.   It took me a few minutes but without any clues from him, I was able to state that brother on the left was in the military, his other brother a physician, the mother a former interior decorator, and the father a retired high-ranking military officer.  I got everything right.  He was shocked.  All he wanted was for me to tell him the age rank of him and his brothers.  I got that right, too.

Hope this helps, LauraV

 

 

 

 

Apr 01, 2009 02:33 AM
Joan Bergstrom
Joan Bergstrom Mobile Notary - Riverside, CA
Mobile Notary, Riverside CA

I post a picture of myself and I don't think it is a issue for for concern for my safety. If your concerned than don't post your picture and I understand.

I personally think people that are looking for notary services are the last people to be muggers, stalkers/etc. For 7 years I have posted my address and I have never had a stranger show up at my door.

My issue with people's pictures is how terrible some are!

What are people thinking that pose with their car, dogs, wearing a baseball hat, favorite truck, kids, husband/wife photo and the mate is not in the bussiness, wedding photos, party photos/etc.

I could go on and on.

Apr 14, 2009 03:57 PM
N/A N/A
N/A - Ontario, CA

I agree with Joan and with Laura.  People should not post pictures of their children, pets, and or cars, not good.  What Laura says also make sense but it is a personal decision they everyone has to make.

 

Apr 26, 2009 04:38 PM