How to Make More Money as a Notary

If you’ve successfully completed your training as a notary, you may be wondering how to grow your side hustle into a full-time money-making career. You’ve likely heard of notaries making six figures, and you want to do it too. The key to success is understanding how to promote your business, diversify your services, and boost your credentials with specialized training.

The freelance life isn’t for everyone, but for those willing to put in the time and energy, they’ll see their notary business grow. Here are five ways to propel your business to success. 

Tell Everyone You’re a Notary

Don’t be shy about telling people what you do. Mention it during casual conversations, and don’t be afraid to boost your business on social media. When friends and acquaintances need a notary, they’ll know who to call. 

You’ll also want to make sure anyone can find your business when searching online for a notary.

Get your notary business online

Did you know that people can find you on google even if you don’t have a website? 

If you google “notary near me,” you’ll see paid ad results first, followed by the google maps app with a list of nearby notary locations and referral websites listing rated notaries in your area. 

To show up on the organic results, you’ll want to:  

1. Create a Google My Business page. 
2. Post your business profile on referral networks like signingagent.com, Yelp, Thumbtack.com, Angi.com, and any others you can find. 

Having a Google My Business page means that you’ll show up on relevant map search results in your area. Clients can rate your business, and you can share critical business information like operating hours. 

Of course, having a website will also help to promote your business. Companies like Weebly, SquareSpace, and Wix all provide easy website builders and templates to get your site up easily and quickly.

Create a social media presence

Posting on social media is another excellent way to increase your reach to potential customers. Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are excellent platforms to promote your business organically. Not sure what to post? Here are a few suggestions: 

1. See what others are posting and what kind of content is ranking high 
2. Decide what type of value you bring to your client and focus messaging on that. Consider the needs of the people and businesses in your area and how you’ll help them. Are you available 24/7? Do you offer mobile notary services? Do you provide specialized services? 
3. Be aware of your tone, especially when discussing sensitive life matters related to notarizations. Remain positive and professional even when you are faced with criticism.
4. Teach your audience. Notaries do more than stamping documents! Help your potential clients understand what you do and why. Educating your audience builds your credibility and authority, but be careful to avoid the unauthorized practice of law on your social media pages.  
5. Give people an action to take, like visiting your website, sending you a message, or giving you a call. Be clear about how people can contact you. 

Network 

Networking is another great way to build your business by connecting with other professionals. You can find local and online meet-up groups dedicated to any profession. Connect with other notaries in your area too. 

Join your local Chamber of Commerce, attend meetings and ribbon-cutting events, and volunteer for a leadership position. You’ll be one of the first people a new business owner meets, so you’ll have ample opportunities to share your services. 

Specialize in service offerings

The work of a notary is often oversimplified as stamping paper. There’s a lot more to a notarial ceremony, and there are many different services a notary may offer. After you receive your commission as a notary, you can use it as a stepping stone to more specialized services. Here are a few: 

1. Immigration Forms Specialist – As an Immigration Forms Specialist, you can provide non-legal immigration services, like helping people complete immigration forms, gather the proper documentation, and referring attorneys to provide legal representation. There may be additional state licensing requirements, so check your state’s rules to determine if you meet the qualifications.  
2. Apostilles Specialist – An apostille is a notarized certificate and attached to other notarized documents that a client intends to send to another country. As an apostille specialist, you’ll obtain the document from your Secretary of State’s office and return the completed package of documents to your client. 
3. Loan Signing Agent – Real estate closings have many documents that require notarization. Notaries can qualify to become a loan signing or notary signing agent by taking a training course and passing an exam and background check.  
4. Wedding Officiant – Florida, South Carolina, Maine, Nevada, and Montana allow notaries to perform weddings as part of their official duties. If you don’t live in one of those states, it’s possible to become an ordained minister online. Licensing requirements vary by state. 
5. Form I-9 Services – Also called an Employee Eligibility Verification form, Form I-9 must be completed for every employee hired at a company. Since the surge in remote work, employers can designate an authorized representative to complete the forms on their behalf. The form doesn’t require notarization, so you are free to negotiate your fees with each client. Most states don’t require special training. However, California requires a notary to be an immigration consultant registered with the California Secretary of State.  
6. Niche Notarial Acts – As you work with more customers in your area, you may notice a trend of specific demographics being under-served by other notaries. Notarizations that are deemed too complex or confusing for others to execute can be your specialty, like working with immobilized signers by providing a signature by proxy or notarizing documents for a signer who can’t be present by providing proof of execution by subscribing witness. These can be tricky procedures, so be sure you fully understand your state’s guidelines and restrictions before offering any services. 

Find local businesses that require notary services

As a mobile or remote notary, you’ll have the ability to take your services anywhere. Professionals in these settings don’t have the time to take a trip to the UPS store to get something notarized, so it’s a great idea to go to them. 

Find these kinds of businesses in your area to see if you may be a good candidate as their preferred notary: 

1. Title and escrow companies
2. Law firms
3. Health Care Facilities 
4. Prison Facilities
5. Schools

Depending on the company or facility, there may be additional requirements, testing, background checks, approvals, and other restrictions before you can start working with them. 

Offer your services everywhere with remote online notarization

Remote online notarization is approved in many states, and the list continues to grow. If you live in a state with RON, becoming RON certified will provide new ways to increase your revenue without leaving your home office.  

ProperSign is a flexible and easy-to-use tool for notaries and other professionals to grow their businesses with digital solutions like eSignatures, eNotarization, and Remote Online Notarization.  

With a subscription plan, you’ll have access to unlimited eSignatures on documents, long-term video file storage, and secure video conferencing. 

Contact our sales team or sign up for a demo to learn more.