Company: SoftPro - Raleigh
Company Description: SoftPro is the nation's leading provider of closing, title and escrow software, with more than 14,000 customer sites and over 60,000 users nationwide. Offering an award-winning suite of products designed to increase volume and revenue, SoftPro delivers innovative technologies to streamline the closing process.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Inbound Marketing Program of the Year
 Nomination Title: Empowering People to Facilitate Every Real Estate Transaction Across the Country
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the nominated achievement since July 1, 2020, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Explain why the achievement you have highlighted is unique or significant. If possible compare the achievement to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 248 words used.
Just as SoftPro looks to our users for input on improving our offerings, our customers rely on SoftPro as a trusted resource. Our inbound marketing strategy is built upon being our customers’ go-to authority for technology and industry expertise. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the face of the industry by forcing title companies to embrace remote work to meet the increased demand of the real estate market. Our priority was helping our customers understand their options for remote work. Through a campaign of blogs, webinars, e-books, and emails, we highlighted SoftPro’s Hosted software solution, which allows customers to work securely from anywhere with a computer and internet connection. Since July 2020, SoftPro Hosted sales goals have been exceeded every month, peaking at 550% in December 2020. Additionally, SoftPro sales exceeded their goal for new Hosted customers by 122% and 107% in 2021 and 2022, respectively, bringing in 339 new Hosted customers and converting 211 existing SoftPro customers into Hosted users across both years.
With the title industry evolving rapidly, facilitating remote work was just the beginning of SoftPro’s quest to empower our customers. SoftPro’s free webinar series, Saved You a Seat, provided invaluable information on emerging technologies such as Remote Online Notarization and Remote Ink-Signed Notarization. The live webinar format gives customers the opportunity to ask questions and chat directly with industry experts. We also cover new technology and industry regulations in our blog posts and our email newsletters, giving customers access to resources in a variety of formats.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 240 words used.
In 2022, SoftPro released SoftPro Sign, an eSign and Remote Online Notarization solution; SoftPro Banking, a wire transfer product; and SoftPro Protect, a turn-key cybersecurity solution specifically for title companies. As part of our inbound strategy, each of these new releases received an in-depth marketing campaign including blogs, emails, explainer videos, and landing pages. Links to the marketing materials for each of these products are provided.
Continued marketing of SoftPro’s Hosted software solution has led to SoftPro Sales exceeding their Hosted sales goals by an average of 153% over the past 30 months. Email and blog links relevant to that campaign are provided. SoftPro’s e-book collection, also linked, proved to be a valuable resource for customers and prospects in 2020 and 2021, thanks to titles covering emerging technologies, remote working, industry insights, and more. We’ve also included links to our blog and highlighted some of our most popular posts about 1099-S filing and the approved changes to the ALTA 2021 Forms.
Our social media pages, which are linked, are an invaluable asset to our inbound marketing strategy. It is our go-to place to share our latest blog content, e-books, webinar registration links, and company news, and to facilitate conversations with our customers. SoftPro has made a tremendous positive impact on the title industry, but you don’t have to take our word for it. See first-hand what our customers have to say via the link to our case studies and testimonials.
- Briefly describe the nominated organization or individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 186 words used.
Founded in 1984 by an entrepreneur who recognized a problem that could be solved with the advent of personal computing technology, SoftPro has become the nation’s leading title and escrow software company. What began as a single program for producing real estate closing documents for attorneys and title companies in the southeast has grown into a turnkey suite of products and services with the industry’s largest market share of over 60,000 users across the entire United States. Now a subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, a Fortune 500 company, SoftPro employs a team of over 400 people who are dedicated to a constant pursuit of customer satisfaction.
SoftPro has been awarded local, regional, and national accolades over the years. For ten years, SoftPro was named one of the Triangle Business Journal’s (Research Triangle Park) Best Places to Work winners. SoftPro has been recognized by the American Business Awards every year since 2007 – winning awards for superior customer service, support, product development, and company achievement. SoftPro is proud to be the 2022 American Business Awards Gold winner for Company of the Year - Real Estate (Large).
- Outline the nominated achievement since July 1 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
SoftPro’s vision statement, empowering people to facilitate every real estate transaction across the country, drives our inbound marketing strategy. We empower our customers with more than just exceptional title software - training opportunities, educational content, industry regulatory and compliance information, and networking events are all part of SoftPro’s commitment to attract, engage, and delight customers. Since July 2020, our inbound marketing program has included:
- Marketing SoftPro’s Hosted solution for remote work, resulting in a 150% increase in conversions to SoftPro Hosted since July 2020.
- Publication of 23 e-book and guide titles which have been downloaded over 1500 times.
- Frequent publication of blog posts which have received nearly 67,000 views from customers and prospects.
- Continuation of a free, live webinar series, Saved You a Seat. Since July 2020, SoftPro hosted 32 episodes with 4,738 total registrants, 410 subscribers, and 8,639 views on our recap blogs.
- Offering free monthly training webinars covering an array of topics within SoftPro’s software, which drew a total of 8,838 registrants since July 2020.
- Partnering with industry organizations, including the American Land Title Association and October Research, to sponsor industry-specific webinars focused on emerging technology, economic forecasts, regulatory updates, and more, drawing over 15,000 registrants.
- Hosting an in-person Annual User Group Conference featuring 2 days of in-depth software training, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities exclusively for SoftPro customers. Our conferences in April 2022 each drew over 400 attendees.
- Marketing campaigns for SoftPro's 2022 product releases: SoftPro Sign, SoftPro Banking, and SoftPro Protect.
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