We are excited to announce that we have enabled every member's account for Social Media. Each profile has areas where you can plug in links to your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles.

See screenshot below:

Once you add your profile links, folks that find your profile on the FNP website will be able to 1-click into your Social Profiles as demonstrated by the following screenshot:

Almost everyone will need to utilize the services of a notary public at some point of their lives. If you're a notary public, your name will be listed with scores of others in the yellow pages, or you may place a small advertisement in your local newspaper. Why not stand heads and shoulders above the crowd by utilizing social media?

Social media is everywhere these days, and it's an often free or inexpensive means to convey your message to many people on a variety of technological platforms. Start out by creating a professional LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a large network that allows professionals to exhibit their skills and experience. You can do this as a Notary and inform people about where you offer your services. Are you a notary public that can travel to meet your clients? Are your fees smaller than others in your area? Find what sets you apart and include it in your profile.

Next, make a business listing Facebook page. Facebook has some cutting edge applications and pages where you can offer special deals and promotions and inform your friends about news from the notary world. Include your notary public logo if you have one, directions to your office and any photos you think might be of interest that relate to the notary world.

A lot of people might not understand exactly what notaries do or what forms need to be notarized, and the more you educate the public, the more business you will generate! Social media is a great place to do just that!

In this increasingly paperless world, a world of online authorizations and e-signatures, you may wonder what it even means these days to notarize a document.

To notarize a document is to solidify its content and value in such a manner that it becomes an official document. Notarized documents often enter into court proceedings, as their validity is so absolute.

So what does it all mean?

It starts with a Notary Public, a citizen appointed by the state government to witness and authorize signatures on important documents. This third party has no interest in the transaction other than to serve as an impartial witness. This process was instituted to deter dishonesty and fraud.

So when a document is notarized, those signing it must present identification. Some acceptable forms are drivers' licenses, passports or military IDs.

Once the signers are verified and they've signed under the notary's watchful eye, the notary will then notarize the document by completing the notary information and affixing their stamp or seal to the document.

Notarized documents are required in a variety of settings, such as marriage licenses, any paperwork pertaining to lawsuits or damage settlements, and in deed transfers such as during a home purchase or automobile lease. Notarized documents are everywhere, and that is what it means to have one!

A notary public is an asset to any community. This person witnesses the signatures on many different important documents, verifying that the information is complete and that the person did sign the paperwork.This is an important job and a notary public must be an upstanding citizen of the highest integrity.

So how do you become a notary public?

First, you must meet a few simple requirements. You must be 18 years of age or older and be an official resident of the state you wish to becoming a notary public in. You also must have never committed a felony in order to become a notary.

Next, you need to obtain an application for a notary commission from your state. Then, you must complete the form and pay a filing fee. Fees vary by state. In some states, you must also be fingerprinted.

Then, you must attend a workshop or course for notaries to learn the law of notarization. Once you've completed the course, send the application off to your state of residence. You may also  be required to take a test to ensure you have learned the proper skills.

Finally, you will take an oath of office and, after final paperwork is filed, you are a notary!

You can now authorize documents, witness signings and, in some states, even perform civil marriages. All that is left is to purchase your official notary seal so you can notarize documents and set up shop.

While it may be easy to become a mobile notary or a notary signing agent, it is more difficult to successfully grow one's business. In today's economy, it is crucial that notary publics and signing agents take advantage of all marketing avenues available online. Small, local companies, such as your own, can benefit from online marketing as more prospects are turning to the web in order to find information on resources available in their area. Find Notary Public is committed to helping notary signing agents and mobile notaries expand their client-base and increase revenue stream. We recognize the value in properly marketing yourself through innovative online techniques, such as webpages, directories, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and social networking sites.

Marketing Tips for Success!

1. Don’t run out of money. It always takes longer and costs more than you expect to spread your idea. You can budget for it or you can fail.
2. You won’t get it right the first time. Your campaign will need to be reinvented, adjusted or scrapped. Count on it.
3. Convenient choices are not often the best choices. Just because an agency, an asset or a bizdev deal are easy to do doesn’t mean that they are your best choice.
4. Irrational, strongly held beliefs of close advisors should be ignored. It doesn’t matter if they don’t like your logo.
5. If it makes you nervous, it’s probably a good idea. If you’re sure you’re right, you probably aren’t.
6. Focusing obsessively on one niche, one feature and one market is almost always a better idea than trying to satisfy everyone.
7. At some point, you’re either going to have to stick to your convictions or do what the market tells you. It’s hard to do both.
8. Compromise in marketing is almost always a bad idea. Extreme A could work. Extreme B could work. The average of A and B will almost never work.
9. Test, measure and optimize. Figure out what's working and do it more.
10. Read and learn. There are a million clues, case studies, books and proven tactics out there. You can't profitably ignore them until you know them, and you don't have the time or the money to make the same mistake someone else made last week. It's cheaper and faster to read about it than it is to do it.