Direct response television (DRTV) - infomercial - advertising significantly increases search engine query requests, according to a study by direct marketing services company SendTec. The study concludes that direct response marketers should have corresponding SEM campaigns to support marketing efforts and capture online orders triggered through search engines, and emphasis should be placed on paid search engine listings to ensure visibility.

An important implication of the study is that DRTV marketers should forge close working relationships between their media buyers and SEM search teams, whether in-house or outsourced.

The study aimed to validate the influence of DRTV on search engine usage; to confirm the branding component that DRTV can offer advertisers; and to document conversion activities of those who respond to a paid search listing as a result of the airing of a DRTV spot.

The author of the study says that daily search impressions increased 1,230 percent during the course of the test DRTV campaign - and the click rate increased 58 percent. Total clicks increased 2,006 percent. Search-driven responses represented approximately 36.6 percent of all responses, and 49.9 percent of all web-driven responses to the test campaign.

The free white paper can be obtained here: http://sem.sendtec.com