Social media application development is a process that requires foresight and a deep understanding of target audience. Read for more insights.

According to ‘We are Social’, there are 3.196 billion global social media users in 2018, which equals 42% penetration. No wonder social media apps abound while every mobile app that’s selling something, is trying to adapt to the ‘social’ ways of attracting visitors.

What kinds of social media apps are selling and why?

There are various kinds of social media apps that are in trend today. It’s not an exaggeration to say that most mobile apps have social features or are developed like a social media app. These are broadly the kind of social media apps that are in trend.

Lifestyle and information social media apps

Almost all news apps today are social media apps as they allow users to participate in discussions and forums. Lifestyle apps are mostly related to beauty, fashion, interior, fitness. These apps are in trend because they help people find like-minded peers for interaction and exchange. Most blogging websites are now offering social media mobile apps, such as Medium or Squarespace.

Chat messengers

Instagram and Facebook messengers and WhatsApp and Telegram are proof that social media chat messengers are not only fun but also very useful. People download these apps purely for the convenience in communicating.

Inspirational and utility apps

Pinterest is the best example of inspirational social media apps where people post things that they desire and like and their posts get re-pinned by peers. Similarly, Foursquare and Nextdoor are examples of utility apps.

Communication, networking and entertainment

There’s a thin line between social media apps dedicated to entertainment and those that help in communication and networking. Both kinds of apps have several common features. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Google Plus, Linked-in etc are examples of apps that not only help in entertainment and communication but also help users in professional networking. Though there are apps that are meant specifically for entertainment such as , Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Youtube and Snapchat.

How to create a social media app?

Vinfotech has successfully completed more than 100 social media application development projects and has hands-on experience with social media users. Whenever we approach a project, we inform our clients about a streamlined process of creating a winning social media application. Below are some steps that we follow in order to build a social media app from scratch.

# 1 Define your target audience

Who is going to use your social media app? What are the needs and challenges of these users? The first step to create a social media app is to know, study about and understand your target audience. We use a solid framework as a social media app builder that helps us focus on our end-users in the process of social media app development.

# 2 Get realistic estimates

Once you have determined your audience, it’s now important to create realistic estimates about your social media app development. In order to make a social media app, the foremost factor to consider is your budget. A good social media app development takes a certain cost that your company or enterprise must have the budget for. The next step is to decide if you want your social media application on Android or iOS platforms. The most popular social media apps are on iOS. You may also consider creating a social media app on iOS first followed by Android. The next factor is to have a realistic estimate about traffic. While nobody can estimate this figure for sure, it’s important to keep a number in mind. Vinfotech recommends using tools such as MYSQL for structured data.

# 3 Have a pre and post launch marketing strategy

You cannot create a successful social media app without determining a good marketing strategy. Apart from making a good social media app, you need to think of ways to promote it before and after the launch. We always recommend our clients to take a one-step-at-a-time approach and a planning of six months ahead of the pre-launch.

Every day 1 million new active mobile social media users get added globally

# 4 Keep UI and UX as simple as possible

For any social media application to resonate with users, it’s vital that you keep it simple to navigate and experience. List features that would truly solve the problem of users while making a social media app. The interface should be easy to understand yet tempting enough to keep users coming back. Avoid adding features only with the purpose of standing out. Think of features that your users would actually use than those that you want to add.

# 5 Get a solid digital marketing strategy

Your job of creating a social media app does not end with the development. Now is the actual time to allow your app to see the light of the day with a formidable digital presence. Along with a good branding story, videos explaining the application, you need to form a good SEO strategy to make it easily searchable on app stores.

Vinfotech has built several social media apps for companies looking for a wider reach of customers. Our highly engaging customized social network apps have helped brands win loyalty and longer brand affiliation from customers. One example is a social media app is Balltalk that connects sports fans and has been massively successful. We have been offering custom social network solutions for all kinds of industries. If you are someone who wishes to understand how to make and launch a social media app, give us a call.

Also read –

Social network app technology stack: How do you develop a social app?

7 features of your social network app that you cannot ignore