• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, March 1, 2010

For Facebook marketers, getting messages into the news feed -- where site users spend much of their time -- is a key to capturing the attention of fans as they check updates and content sent from friends.

To that end, Atlanta-based Vitrue has added a new option to its social media platform that allows advertisers to insert mini applications into fans' news feeds, with the goal of boosting interaction on a brand's Facebook page or other Web properties. The new Wall Apps offered through Vitrue's Social Relationship Manager suite include customizable coupons, polls and quizzes, slide shows, email and events-related applications.

"To be able to simply and easily create apps inside the news feed is going to propel conversations inside Facebook Pages," said Vitrue CEO Reggie Bradford. By presenting apps on the Wall section of their Facebook Page, brands stand a better chance of increasing awareness and engagement. That's because the Wall has more than 100 times greater reach than tabs and other parts of a page, according to Bradford, who cites Vitrue research.

The company's Web-based social media system already allows marketers to create posts on Facebook and Twitter that incorporate video and other multimedia elements to entice users into spending time with branded content or taking certain actions tied to promotions.

With Facebook recently tightening up on brands' communication with fans -- no longer automatically allowing all updated content to appear in the news feed -- Bradford emphasized that it's more important than ever to create content that grabs them.

"Give people a reason to take a poll or a quiz or download a coupon," said Bradford. "You want your Wall post to pop so it will show up in a user's news feed." He added that Vitrue will start with a handful of Wall Apps but plans to increase the selection during the year.

Public figures, companies and other organizations to date have launched more than 3 million pages on Facebook, which collectively attract more than 20 million fans a day. Highlighting the growth of Facebook Pages as an interactive marketing vehicle, Vitrue says fans managed through its social media tools have jumped from 1 million to 22 million in the last year. Its customers include brands such as Best Buy, Ford, Pepsi, Honda and Papa John's.