Notary Marketing Basics: Business Cards and Websites

by Sharon Hassler, Founder/Webmaster, GoGetNotary.com

Time to dust off your notary embosser and journal and start thinking about marketing. Two things you need now are professional business cards and a professional web presence.

Notary Business Cards
Your business cards don’t have to be fancy but they should look professional. You can find ideas on our Sample Business Card pages. If you create cards on your computer, be sure you choose a good quality stock to print your cards, something like Avery’s “Clean Edge” stock. Or you can order inexpensive but excellent quality cards from VistaPrint.com. Two-sided cards are a good choice when you include two or three testimonials on the flip side. If you’re curious about the “free” business cards you see advertised, check out this article.

Notary Web Presence
Everyone expects to see a web address on your business card. Don’t have one? You should because you can get a domain name for about $10 a year. Even if you have a web page here at GoGetNotary.com instead of a website, you can still have your own permanent web address with a domain name. The beauty of the domain name is in the flexibility because you can direct it to a web page or a web site any time you choose. Buy a domain name now and forward it to your your GGN web page. Later if you launch a notary website, you can switch the domain name to your website. In the meantime, you can post that domain name in other directories and forums—building links—and use it in your email signature and on business cards, and it will still be current when you point it to your website down the road.

Domain Names: A few notaries have told me they let their domain name go when they decided to cut back and drop their website. Please don’t do that! You’ve probably included that web address on business cards and posted it various places on the Internet. You worked hard to get links online so don’t lose that connection. If you give up your website, keep your domain name and forward it to your GoGetNotary web page. When the economy turns around, you may want another website and you’ll be able to take advantage of your domain name and all those links you built. Read more about domain names and forwarding at Your Own Domain Name.

If you’re planning to buy a domain name, buy it separate from any package website deal.* That way it will still belong to you if you decide to cancel your website later. That domain name will be your permanent address for your notary business so guard it like gold. While I’m on the subject, remember not to panic if you get an “URGENT” renewal notice, especially in the mail or by phone. Those are usually scammers who will charge you $60 to $75 instead of $10/year. Legitimate domain name resellers will send you a renewal email 90 days, 60 days, 30 days, 15 days and 5 days out. Just make sure you can locate your login info, username and password, and keep your email address current in your account contact info so you get the renewal notices.

Web Page: You can use your GGN web page in place of a website but it helps to have a forwarded domain name for your marketing. The info you would put on a website is exactly what you’ll have on your GGN web page if you take the time to fill in all the fields. In fact, many websites don’t have enough info to justify 5 pages. Start with a web page in a good directory, then add a website when the economy improves. Or if you’re struggling to pay for a website now, let it go and forward your domain name to your GoGetNotary web page. Just make a copy of your website pages so you don’t have to rewrite everything when you launch the next one.

Website: A website doesn’t have to be expensive. A self-managed 5-page template site at GoGetWebsite.com is under $5 a month or under $7 a month for a 10-page site, less if you pay for a year in advance. Be careful of the number of pages you’re allowed with any template site and introductory rates. I like the Homestead sites, but they jump from $4.99/month for 5 pages the first 3 months to $9.99 thereafter, and if you want to add even 1 more page, the price jumps to $19.99/month. I think that’s too much for a template site for a service business. I set up a sample notary signing agent site to show what can be done with any template site. It isn’t jawdropping in design, but it would get the job done if set up as a regular notary site. Learn more about websites and Internet marketing at Internet Tips.

By the way, the information on our Signing Company Directory and Notary Directories was updated in March. I knew a few title and signing companies would be closed but I was surprised at how many notary directories have gone away in the last year. If you have a domain name/web address, take advantage of the places you can post for free in the Notary Directories info. And don’t overlook the other sites listed there like Google Local, SuperPages, and Craigslist.

*You don’t actually buy or own a domain name. You pay for the right to use the name for a year or whatever period you paid for. It’s more like a lease than a purchase. Even if you create a name specifically for your business, you can still lose it to someone else if you don’t renew it on time. Unless your name is trademarked, you can’t keep another person from “buying” and using your domain name if you let your “ownership” lapse.

©Copyright Sharon Hassler. All rights reserved. Sharon Hassler, Founder/Webmaster for GoGetNotary.com, is a former loan officer, real estate agent and marketing consultant. She served as Communications Manager for First American Title-Arizona for 11 years. For more about Sharon, visit GoGetNotary.com/Get/Sharon.