HOW TO BUILD A SOCIAL MEDIA AP

From a business perspective from a business perspective, the market of social media is one of the markets that is most likely to grow. Of course, this sector is heavily populated by dominant players, but the rapid development of technology is continually offering new possibilities for the realization of new ideas.

The first social media site goes back to the 1970s, which was to the period when University of Illinois has developed the PLATO System. It included some of the most popular features, including online forums, bulletin boards instant messaging, and numerous other features.

Fast forward to 2019, and we've got thousands of social media platforms to select from (with prominent leaders like Facebook as well as Twitter). Based on App Annie Report 2019 Social Media Network 2019 Statistics, the statistics for social media platforms 2019 highlight the top social media platforms in different countries: When you are creating social media, it's crucial to know that having a mobile-friendly application is essential for success of your project. When we speak about the cost, you must keep in mind that the majority of time and expense is related to the backend (what happens behind the scenes that makes the app/website project function).

App development for social media platforms can be created from scratch or as an add-on to the existing web-based version. We at The APP Solutions, we can use either method due to our experience in this development phase at each time point in the lifecycle.

Check out the infographic for a breakdown of the price of social media app development costs (basic functionality and one platform - Android or iOS):

How to Create a Social Media App

1. Joining existing social media platforms

The less steps that separate the user from full-on interaction with an application the better. Users have already entered their personal information in a plethora of social media applications There is no reason to make them go through the same process again. It's best to pare short the route into the new interface to one button "Connect with" or "Login using" one of the existing apps.

2. Possibilities to express yourself

Every person wants to feel special and show the world how creative exceptional, unique, and out of the ordinary the person he. Social media applications should contain some features that can assist in this, such as customizing profile pictures, backgrounds names, nicknames, etc.

3. Creating networks

Social media can be beneficial for the user only if there are friends or interesting individuals. Therefore, social media apps developers must work on the ideal algorithm of the friends graphs and the system that lets people invite friends with just one click.

4. Arranging the newsfeed

Every social network needs news feeds. Content is the key and that's a good thing. Users create a huge amount of data themselves. Check-ins, statuses, video, photos, and audio. Furthermore they share others' content. It allows them to assert themselves and express their opinions (which is among the benefits of social media - you are able to make yourself heard.)

As we develop an app that is social media-related to be compatible with Android and iOS We take this into account and suggest the arrangement of the news feed that is the most suitable for the specifics of the social media application.

Newsfeed for All Square Portfolio app project by The App Solutions]

5. Communication with services

In order to provide your customers with an enhanced user experience on the platform, you must develop a framework to integrate existing services into your network. In this way, users do not need to pick between a variety of services since they're already interconnected. In terms of third-party services we're talking about:

Networks of relationships

Networks are utilized to facilitate communication between people. There are many categories of networks including personal networks (Facebook),

professional networks (Linkedin) and online social networking services (Badoo or Tinder app).

Networks for sharing media

This type of social media provides users the possibility of trading video and photo content. They include Flickr, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, Snapchat. A distinctive feature is the possibility of scaling content. For instance, some offer to publish short videos; others allow creating their own channel for video.

Online reviews

These social media are an immense source of data which allows users to collect all the information needed to make purchase decisions. For instance, Yelp and Urbanspoon are built on geolocation as well as the ability to comment and recommendations on local businesses.

Discussion forums

Forums, communities, Q&A-services are among the earliest forms that social media can use. The most recent examples of this kind comprise Quora, Reddit, and Digg. At the core mechanics of interaction between users is the need for knowledge sharing.

Social publishing platforms

This kind of social media service is related to blogging and micro-blogging platforms where users make and publish text or media content. These include platforms such that include Twitter, Medium, and Tumblr.

Bookmarking websites

StumbleUpon, Pinterest, Flipboard are services where the user collects the content in the personal library. These could be shared by others in the. The majority of the time, these social media focus on specific interests and provide more relevant information.

Interest-based networks

The most attractive opportunity which social networks offer is to find like-minded people with similar interests. For instance, Last.FM is a network for music lovers, Goodreads is for people who enjoy reading.

Also, you should consider the possibility of integrating your service into every existing network to ensure that the posts of users using your social media app could be posted to different social media networks. This will allow users to add their friends to your network.

6. Private communication

Whatever thrilling the encounter of social interaction, there are always things that should be discussed in private. Social networking applications should include built-in security features that allow for private communications. This way, your users will not have to access external resources and will be spending more time on your application. Find out more in our article about how important data privacy is.

You've got an app idea, you have a good grasp of what the app needs to be. What's next? What are the steps to build an application that is social media-related? We proceed to the direct creation of applications.

This APP Solutions is a social media app development company that sticks to native application development. It allows us to get a higher performance of the new social application on Android and iOS and provides a superior UI/UX, and gives full access to the built-in features of mobile devices.

Secondly, when working on such a large-scale project Social media app developers will suggest that you start with the MVP (minimum viable) product. MVP is a software product that includes the minimum set of capabilities that allow you to introduce the product to the market to test the idea. This strategy allows you to introduce the product in a short time, which can save time and costs. After validation is completed, we start to finalize the productby adding featuresand features, as well as design and improve the UI/UX. Then, the application is available in the market for a second round of validation and testing.

MVP Scheme Stages of Development

Five Steps of Social Media Application Development

At APP Solutions, our professional team we have adopted an approach to workflow that makes most sense from a technology as well as business viewpoints and follow these key stages in developing a successful social media app.

Step 1. Develop a plan for your social media

In this phase, we analyze the idea and the competitive field as well as the demands, draw up a portrait of the target audience, and determine the primary performance indicators to be met. This helps us find a unique niche while developing the social media application for mobile devices.

Step 2. Create the social network app's workflow

The design itself consists of many steps:

Sketching

Simple and concise outline of future applications. They assist in evaluating the idea of the project's logic in terms of the number of screens, and their interaction.

Wireframing

It is one of the most essential steps in designing a process because it helps the development team to comprehend the skeletal structure of social media apps. It helps to visualize the structure of the application and the experience for the user.

Prototyping

A prototype created is a working prototype of an upcoming application. It provides both for the user and developers with an improved understanding of the product. It's easier to change an idea or modify it before the code is written.

Design App Skins

At this point, we convert wireframes in the social app design. We are analyzing existing solutions, watching the latest trends, and elaborating UI/UX to provide the most optimal possible solutions.

Step 3. Development & Quality Assurance for iOS and Android

Design and development typically run in conjunction during the life-cycle of a mobile social media application. Once the prototype of the app is completed, we build its back-end by installing servers, databases APIs, and figuring out perfect storage solutions.

We offer a solution that is compliant with all technical requirements, user guidelines, and platform standards. The iOS and Android experts recommend to our clients native social media app development for better performance from the app.

(You can calculate the development cost online using Cost Calculator.)

At every stage of development, we provide manual and automatic testing of every part of the program as well as their correct interactions with the program. (By by the way testing isn't just carried out to verify that the developers didn't make any errors into their code. It is also done to verify the UX of the application.)

Related reading:

Case Study: Video Streaming App Proof of Concept

How to Create a Community App

Step 4. Publishing & Marketing the App

Our expert team also takes care of that the process of publishing is completed, develops all promotional materials, including videos, screens and an efficient description of the app. All of this makes it easier for companies with social apps to stand out in the Apple Store and Google Play Market.

And, of course, marketing. When you come up with your idea to develop a mobile app or a web project be aware that cost of development is only a part of the project cost. Also, you should think about the essential marketing requirements and costs. Which method to select for marketing your app is entirely up to you however, don't start thinking about it once your app has appeared in the App Store. Don't forget to track your application's quantitative metrics, which is essential for your success in the market for social media.

Step 5. Maintenance & Support

After the project is made available to the application markets We will provide our clients with support of all kinds and updates.

Quantitative Metrics for Social Media Application

To conduct a business analysis of a mobile applications for social media, we highly recommend sticking to the metrics that permit the ability to track engagement and create actionable solutions.

They can be divided into five categories: financial, user, sales, acquisition, and marketing. The type and purpose of the application there will always be a unique number of instruments. Here are a few essential ones:

Acquisition: CPI & CAC

Cost Per Installation (CPI) is calculated by tracking installs by users that came from advertising. It is calculated by subdividing cost of advertising by number of installations of the application.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the sum of the total cost of all marketing efforts which are required to attract clients. It is one of the factors that determine whether the company operates with an effective business model. This indicator indicates business growth possibilities.

User activation

Active users as compared to downloads. Activation actions/parameters are customized for every app.

User Retention Rate and Churn Rate

Retention of users is defined as the proportion of users that return to the app based on the date they made your first use. When the latest update is launched, it is essential to check if retention has changed, because it will help you determine the things that are working and what's not working in the updated version.

The churn rate shows the percentage of users who have quit using the mobile application for social media. The less it shows, the better.

User engagement

Engagement of users is a variety of targeted actions implemented in the app. Some of them include Session Length and Interval.

The first one shows the time that passed between who logged into the application and then exited, the second shows the time in between two sessions.

Traction

It is quantitative evidence of the demand in the market of the item. In other words, it illustrates the patterns of month-to-month growth of users.

Rate of burning

The amount the mobile app is spending (burning) every month, such as server costs, marketing, staff and so on. It provides a list of the essential resources at resources available to help plan future growth and fundraising.

How to Make a Social Media App

Social media app development is not an easy endeavor. But we do believe that good ideas, our knowledge, and a professional team of social media makers are enough to create an effective project that will achieve your goals for business and attract loyal customers. This is the solution to the question "How to create a social media app? ".