Social Media App Development – A Complete Guide

How to develop a social media app? Whenever people think about this question at the same time a question arises in our mind: what is the need of developing a new social media app when there are plenty of apps on the internet? 

This is a question for everybody who wants to develop an app. If we take the example of Tik-Tok, an app that arrived far later than Facebook,  gathered a lot of users during the last few years with no signs of stopping. If we compare Tik-Tok with Facebook it has an average gathering of users while Tik-Tok keeps on moving.

Social Media Mobile Apps – Why the Market is Aiming for Them?

2 hours and 25 minutes: it is time spent by people on the internet. Specifically in the US average time of 2 hours and 3 minutes is spent on social media. Whereas in the Philippines average time spent on social media is 3 hours 53 minutes.

The main reason for exploring these numbers in front of you is that they represent the exact reality of how much people like to spend time on social media and everybody wants to satisfy their needs with innovative tools.

Pandemic time makes people dependent on social media. A study done by Global Web Index depicts that 40% of internet users have increased in recent months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Key Point of Making the Right Social Media App

Finding what is the right product or fits in the market: before putting a step into the market it is necessary to identify the product that can resonate with its target market. 

When a social media app is built it must meet the needs of users, so the startup of any product must be flexible with its approach, as the success of the final product is different from wild and original ideas. And mostly the success of every product depends on how much a product fits in a market. 

To exemplify, WhatsApp is an app that is developed for sending messages but now it has become an app that has lots of users and all this is happening due to its market fitness as WhatsApp adapts changes in it which are needed by its user.

However, startups may rely on good strategies for achieving grand success.

Read Also: Development Cost For Messaging Apps Like Snapchat

✅ Do research before entering the market and gain a competitive advantage

It is necessary to research widely and wisely what is trending in the market at present and who are competitors, the numbers of competitors, the atmosphere of the market, market size, and numbers of the competitors. What type of strategies and innovations are required for ensuring your success? Building an app is not just about coding and executing and displaying your app to your end-users. In this competitive market, in-depth research of the market gives you a better perspective of the market and you can start by offering a better and unique product in the market that is able to fill the value gap of existing apps.

For this, you have to make a strong strategy by looking at other media apps and not just looking at them, using them personally, and understanding the features of that existing app. A new app must have an innovative idea and unique proposition, instead of being a similar copy or specialty in this competition-oriented market. So, bringing innovation can be done by observing the market and understanding the features of the existing apps and modifying them, and adding new features to your app.
Also Read | Requirements for Developing A Mobile App: An Ultimate Guide

✅ Research the target audience to get a better perspective

It is a better idea to interview your end-users to get better ideas for your app. By interviewing them you can find out the issues they face in existing apps and what are the solutions that you have to work on. You can include them in your mobile app development and make your user attracted towards it and this early interaction with users helps you to find your ready base of subscribers for the app. 

CJM(customer journey map) normally has persona, timeline, actions, and expectations.

The business model for your app should be profitable: a social media app should have the ability to give more and more profits to the app developer. So, the business model plays a vital role in the long-term growth of apps while keeping revenue in sight. There are two types of models that are trending in the market are:

• Freemium model- used by Spotify
• Advertising model- used by Facebook

✅ Incorporated with a user-friendly and intuitive design

The experience of the user will determine the failure and success of new social media apps. As a well-organized app attracts new subscribers to your app while an unorganized app raises the chances of deduction in subscribers.so, startups must have a good grasp of customers’ expectations and be able to alter the app accordingly. providing features that are value added to the customers.

The idea of a social media app should be so effective that it satisfies everyone’s needs and pleases every party that engages with the app. To illustrate, Facebook provides a feed for customers for entertaining them and also provides comprehensive tools for everyone, who is engaged with it such as publishers, content creators, and advertisers. Which is the main reason for Facebook’s success.

✅ Create an MVP ( Minimum Viable Product)

MVP gives a way for startups to test and analyze the market in a less complicated environment. Startups avoid the risk of running into multiple technical issues that come with the inclusion of all the features on the app. Instead, users like to use an app that is more comfortable to use and less cluttered.

✅ Development of MVP Stages

Refining social media apps by gathering feedback: user feedback always helps you to find out the strong and weak points of an app and which part of the app you need to work on and make it useful for your audiences. Because launching an app is the first step in creating a successful product and gathering feedback from users on MVP is the second step.

By gathering feedback from users, startups can improvise to ensure and fix the app problems. At this point, startups need to rely on analytics to predict trends and behaviors more accurately. And improvisation is a never-ending process.

Social Media App Development Types

Generally, there are four types of mobile apps on social media as

1. Social networking ( e.g. Facebook, WhatsApp)
2. Photo sharing (e.g. Instagram, Snapchat)
3. Video sharing (e.g. Facebook, Youtube)
4. Microblogging (e.g. Twitter, Tumblr)

✅ Common Features of Social Media App Development

There are so many social media apps that have their special features according to their niche, targeted audience, and content but there are some common features that we find in every social media app such as:

✅ Advanced Features of Social Media Development

There are a number of social media apps that entertain most people such as Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, YouTube, and many more. which are known and famous because of their features and functionalities. So, if you are desiring to develop a social media app it is essential that it has its own uniqueness that attracts people, having features and functions that are different from existing apps. Some of them are described below for developing a unique mobile app for social media.

1. Customization of profile: In this digital world everybody wants to show their creativity and make a unique impression on social media. So, for alluring users of your app, profile customization is the best option. It gives privatization options and complete control of the profile to the user, for example, the freedom to display pictures, bio, and username helps users to show their creativity.
   
   
2. In-App calls: this feature enables your users to call their friends that are connected with them on the app. It increases the bond and strength of your users’ relations and the popularity of your app. Nowadays, this advanced feature is entertained by users very much and gaining huge popularity.
   
   
3. Voice-enabled chat: It provides an alternative option to users instead of text messaging. It gives more fun and excitement to the users as they just have to speak and the message will be recorded. WhatsApp provides this option to their users as sometimes text-based messages are confusing for others and they are unable to understand whereas with audio-based messages they can clearly communicate with the host what they want to say.
   
   
4. Building a network:  Social media is a platform for people to expand their networks and connect with more and more people. So, it is necessary for developers to add some options that help their users to build connections beyond their limits. For example, by providing suggestions and enabling them to follow people, etc.
   
   
5. Text editors: This option enables users to enhance their message creativity and quality. Developers can provide access to various fonts, text, colors, emoticons, and more to create attractive things for their users.
   
   
6. Integrations with Third-party: Integrations with the third – party provides flexibility and ease of post sharing to the users. They can share their Facebook stories on WhatsApp and Instagram at the same point in time. As they are interlinked with each other and increase the reach of users.

Read Also: Things You Should Consider Before Building a Mobile App

To Build a Social Media App- Tech stack is required

A lot of tools and technologies and other resources are required to develop a mobile app depending on the app’s nature and type. Usually, we have to decide on the following:

Technologies Used in Social Media Apps

React Native- With a single codebase, it can share code across platforms. With the help of React Native, an organization can maintain two platforms and share a standard technology. It uses JavaScript, ReactJS, Objective-C, C++, and Python, which gives it the flexibility to perform better on every platform.

Facebook, Instagram, and Skype are some good examples that are using react native and they are taking advantage of it by reducing their costs, increasing app performance, and improving their user experience. React Native App Development also enables their user to access their app on IOS and Android platforms which is very beneficial for these apps. helps as they can attain huge communities with this feature of react native.

Flutter-An open source framework for building beautiful, multi-platform, and natively compiled applications from a single codebase. Flutter was developed and used by Google. Google pay is also a good example who is using flutter for its app. google pay uses the flutter app for a fast and secure checkout experience for its users that enhance their conversions. google pay users are free from the need to manage credit cards and payments and all this is possible due to the flutter app.

Kotlin- Kotlin is considered an alternative to java. It is an Object-oriented programming language that is static in type that can exchange and use information with JVM (java virtual machine), libraries of java, and android. Slack is the best example that is using kotlin in their app for collaborating with their team members via chat rooms, private groups, and instant messaging.

Bonus Material: Mobile App Development Frameworks | Top 10 List

Things to Keep in Mind While Setting Up Your Budget

• Features of your app (type and size)
• The platform of your app ( whether you want to make your app android base or iOS
• Location of the developer’s company ( Is it far or near from your location as distance also increases expenses)
• Development team size to design the app
• Tools and technologies for developing features and functionalities
• Experience of the developers ( how efficiently and effectively they can develop a mobile app)
• Duration of the project ( time spent on developing the mobile app)

We are one of the best service provider app development companies that have been in the market for more than a decade and have provided superior App development services across the globe. App solutions developed by our highly experienced developers will take your business to new heights. Our main aim is to offer business solutions that encourage entrepreneurs in the internet world.

Why Choose RichestSoft for Developing your Mobile App for Social Media?

1. Reliability – We provide highly efficient services to our customers as we believe that providing reliable services builds strong bonding between customers and developers, which benefits the growth of everyone’s business.
2. Quality assurance -Best-in-class, efficient, effective app development solutions to our audiences is a hallmark of our success.
3. Real-time support- We never leave our clients in a fix. We always provide proper guidance, support, and clarification of problems related to their project that benefit our clients.
4. Relationship with customers- We try to build a trustable and healthy relationship Apart from providing app services to our clients.
5. Cost-effectiveness- Our main motive is to provide high-quality and affordable services to our clients. We always try to give the best things that never cost you much.
6. Delivery on time- After completing tasks, we ensure that delivery of the project will be on time.

FAQs

Q1. How to Develop a Successful Social Media App?

 Ans. You have to consider three basic features – users’ profiles, newsfeeds, and connections for developing a successful social media app and also keeping in mind its type.

Q2. How much time does it take to develop a social media app development?

Ans: Basically, the development time of the app depends on its complexity, features, and your requirement, but if we take a basic idea it will take around 3 to 6 months for developing a mobile app and it will also proceed further to 6 to 9 months if you want to develop a more complicated app.

Q3. What are the 3 most important things you would consider for developing a mobile app?

Ans: There are lots of things are there that you would consider during your social media app development such as: 

1. Your goals
2. Target Audience
3. App design 
4. Mobile platforms 

And many more things are there that you should consider.

Q4. What features should a social media app have?

Ans: There are lots of features you should consider such as easy and user-friendly login, appealing and accessible design, safe and secure login, open forum, messaging system, etc.

Q5. How much does it cost to develop a social media app?

Ans: It is difficult to tell the exact cost of developing an app as it differs according to customer requirements, company’s location, etc. But if we take estimate prices of some countries then it will be like this: America charges $120 to $150 per hour, Australia charges $100 to 120 per hour, Europe charges $80 to $100 per hour and in comparison to these countries India charges very less that is $20 to $30.

Conclusion

For the successful launch of social media app development in the market strategy, feedback and improvisation are some of the vital factors. So, as a developer, you have to research what’s trending in the market and what are the requirements of users, and what type of features and functions a social media app audience wants. After that, you can make alterations to your app and satisfy the needs of your end-users.

You should also keep in mind before stepping into the market what things are there which can affect your budget. All the above-mentioned steps for developing a mobile app for social media play an essential role in developing a successful app.

RichestSoft has been working for more than 10 years in Mobile App Development and has a great experience in this field. So, with their experts and experience, they will help you in developing your mobile app in an effective and efficient way and they also help you in acquiring a good knowledge of trends that are rolling over in digital marketing and tell you how you can take advantage of all these things in a useful manner.

Richestsoft will assure a successful launch of your social media app by providing quality services to you. You can learn more from their experts as working with them is always an excellent experience for their users.