TruePresence is making itself known.
A Baltimore-based franchise of Web marketing firms scattered around the region, TruePresence?s goal is to provide a local approach when using the World Wide Web. By taking this geographical slant, the firm targets its clients? advertisements and their appearance on search engines, with results specific to the franchise?s region.
With the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization reporting that North American advertisers spent $9.4 billion on search engine marketing last year, 63 percent higher than in 2005, there appears to be a market for TruePresence and its clients.
“We are, at our heart and soul, an Internet marketing company,” said Gayle Becker, TruePresence?s vice president of franchise development. “We help businesses find, get and keep customers online.”
Founded in 2005, TruePresence has expanded to 17 franchises, with plans to have 25 by the end of the year and 50 by the end of 2008. This month, the firm was named one of Franchise Market Magazine?s “Top 100 Low Investment Franchises.” The ranking puts TruePresence among some of the top franchise opportunities in the country costing less than $100,000.
Entrepreneurs are drawn to TruePresence?s franchise model because it provides a nationally centralized technical design and marketing team to help them maintain their one-man shop.
“This was a good opportunity because the cost of entry was fairly low,” said Will Davis, 31, owner of a TruePresence franchise in Baltimore. “There?s no taking on staff, little overhead, all of those factors that would go with starting up my own agency. A lot of those headaches were alleviated by joining a franchise that offered a lot of those solutions.”
Aside from search engine marketing, TruePresence franchise owners also work to provide clients with services such as Web design, e-mail marketing and online advertising tools.
“I always tell people it?s one of the best decisions I have ever made,” Davis said. “I?m having a lot of fun helping clients with their business, and every day is exciting and different.”
