Once upon a time companies and brands simply being in the social media space was considered a surprising feature or nice-to-have. Today’s consumers have higher expectations and are looking for more defined forms of engagement.

The majority of new media participants believe that brands should have a presence in the space, interacting with consumers as needed or by request only according to a development supported by research from Cone, a strategy and communications agency engaged in building brand trust.

While actual contact with brands is still mainly focused through more traditional channels such as email and websites compared to social networks, the split is not as big as it used to be.

The research attributes this to the sense of goodwill and stronger connections that at least seven out of 10 respondents claim they feel toward companies and brands who interact through new media. Consumers who were able to connect with brands in this manner reported having an overall positive impression, stronger connection and were more willing to engage.

The report also showed that the purpose of new media from the perspective of the consumer should be considered. The top two reasons consumers would like companies or brands to use new media for consumer interaction were to solve problems or provide service information and to offer incentives.

New media is changing the way we market in the social media space and the focus is turning toward consumer experience. “If companies are going to be a mainstay in new media, they’re going to have to realize consumers expect more than a passive existence,” said Mike Hollywood, Cone’s director of new media. “New media are about experience, dialogue and immediacy. There was a time when just being in new media got you the gold star for effort. But consumers are continually refining their expectations and more and more are looking for specific interactions.”