In the competitive world of 2024, social media continues to be a powerhouse for business marketing, offering unparalleled reach and engagement opportunities. But it is already crowded with the dominant and skilled professionals.
So, how to retain your place while creating a social media app from scratch? Is it possible to stand out amidst the tech professionals and create an app that resonates with users globally? Want to know
Well fear not, as this ultimate guide has provided you with the 12 steps that help you to make a high-quality app.
Therefore, without wasting the time, let’s spill the beans.
Globally, people use social media for two hours and twenty-five minutes every day. Specifically speaking, Americans spend an average of two hours and thirty minutes a day on social media applications.
Note that
Facebook and YouTube are the most popular platforms, with WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and others also having many users. Here is a brief summary of the top ten market leaders based on monthly active users:
Over half of the world’s population uses social media, and almost all users access these platforms through mobile apps.
So, Instead of ‘simply creating another app’ in a competitive industry, a new app must have a unique proposition
Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the market properly. It will help in setting the goals toward app development that make it stand out from the competition.
To create a popular social network app, you need to research the market and choose the right audience.
Here are some important steps to follow before starting to develop a social media app.
Various types of social media apps might target different niches at the same time. For example, you could create an app for the doctors or go with creating it for the chefs. Alternatively, you can create an app that caters to various groups of people.
Before selecting the niche, here comes another crucial step “ for whom you are creating the app”. Therefore, to choose your target audience, look into
You can create a social media site for doctors to talk about work and share information. Or you can create a gaming app for the teens that not only become their source of entertainment but also allow them to interact.
Before beginning to design your social apps, It’s crucial to comprehend the main app categories. With this knowledge, you can better prepare for market research when developing a social media app.
Let’s examine and draw some ideas from some of the most popular categories of social media applications.
App Type | Features | Example |
Social networks | Primary purpose is to link people and form communities.Means of information sharing and social interaction over the internet. | TwitterLinkedinFacebookInstagram etc. |
Media sharing networks | Enables you to share various types of media files (photo, video, GIF, and so on). | TiktokVimeoYoutube |
Discussion forums | Allow users to initiate conversations, post questions, and get responses from other users. These types of forums may be general or specialized. | QuoraReddit |
Content review networks | These types of apps allow users to review businesses, brands, goods, cafes, restaurants, etc. | YelpTripAdvisor. |
Content sharing networks | These network sites allow the people to exchange content, becoming a source of inspiration and original ideas. | Flipboard PinterestSoundcloud Goodreads |
Networks of relationships | Helping users find dates and meet new people is their primary objective. | BadooTinder |
Networks for Blogging and Publishing | These are blog or article sharing websites. They are easy to design without the need of special understanding of coding. It includes websites like | MediumWordpress Tumblr |
There are now many solutions accessible to construct social network apps quickly, thanks to the rapid technology. But, to make your mark in the competitive world, you must choose the right category for your app.
So, here are the four options, each with its pros and cons.
You can create your own social network on the internet and mobile devices. You can do this using SaaS platforms like Disciple. These platforms offer ready-to-use features. It allows you to customize the style and design and monetize your content based on your choices.
You can download and set up open-source software on your server. Both paid and free choices are available. Although they provide additional personalization options, they will incur a developer’s cost and hosting fees. Additionally, it does not allow you automatic software upgrades or customer support.
You can make a social media app or website with plugins using CMS like Drupal or WordPress. Although you can download their plugin for free, but you may experience the bugs. Additionally, They also work better on a social media website than an app.
If you want to create an app with whole new ideas, then the most suitable option is to create it from scratch. You need assistance from a specialized app development company to give life to your ideas. But, it might upset your budget because this process is time and budget-consuming.
Next step is to create a user-friendly app. So, making a social media app that is intuitive, easy to use, and appeals to your target audience.
Here are some best practices to consider when designing the app’s appearance.
Remember, the more simple and organized the app will be, the more it will attract the users.
When you start making your social app, it’s common to feel overwhelmed by its many functions and features. However, understand your restrictions, money, and development abilities first to guarantee proper integration of features of the app.
Here are the necessary features to add to the social media app.
Here are some additional features that make your app talk of the town.
After you’ve defined your app’s key features and functionality, you can begin designing and creating it. But before you begin, determine whether you want to create your app for Android, iOS, or both. Remember, both Android and Apple use distinct technical stacks.
Now, once you have determined your target device, here are the steps to follow
The very first step in the development process is sketching. So, clearly outline the road map for creating the app. This will assist your entire team in visualizing what the program is about and how to make it.
This phase is important in design as it helps the team imagine the basic structure of social media apps. It provides an organized picture of the app and the end-user’s experience.
A prototype is a working model of a future application. It improves both the customer’s and developers’ comprehension of the product.
At this stage, that allows the team to work on the skeletal structure of the application. To deliver the finest possible solutions, examine existing solutions, monitor current trends, and develop UI/UX.
Now after the completion of the design phase, it’s time to move on to the development process. This phase is divided into two parts i.e frontend development and backend development.
Backend development includes creating databases and server objects to ensure smooth app functioning. Whereas frontend focuses more on user experience and user interface.
After development, the app then passes to the testing phase that helps to know the quality and performance of the application. This stage includes a number of testing such as functional testing, usability testing, and performance testing to identify and fix any bugs or issues.
After thorough testing, the app is ready for deployment. This phase involves publishing the app on platforms like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, making it available to users. It also includes monitoring the app’s performance, gathering user feedback, and making necessary updates to enhance its functionality and user experience.
Once you develop your app, make sure that social media attracts millions of users and becomes a source of profit. This means that it’s critical to select a business plan that promotes long-term growth while keeping revenue in mind. Here are some standard business models found in social media apps.
The freemium model allows customers to sign up for free and access many essential functions. Premium services, on the other hand, are exclusively available to paying members.
Many social media platforms rely on advertising to generate cash. Using a data-driven approach, the objective is rapidly expanding the user base and targeting people with relevant adverts.
To appeal to marketers, ensure your app collects personal information such as age, gender, location, and interests.
Some social media sites let users buy stickers or filters to use in the app, in order to make money. Therefore, feature your app for in-app purchases to earn maximum revenue.
The cost of developing a social networking app varies based on the path you take in terms of development.
For example, choose a SaaS or CMS solution. Their expense and time will be lower than using open-source software, which includes software cost, developer expense, and hosting.
Remember that the cost to create an app for iOS or Android ranges from $94,500 for one platform (iOS or Android) to $152,850 for both.
Apart from this, the cost also varies depending on the location of app developers. The following are the average per-hour rates charged in various locations.
After app development, you might wonder what the best practices are to get the users’ attention. Here are some of the best strategies to get people to download your app:
Launching the social media app is the first step toward developing a successful product. The next step is to collect user feedback on the MVP. User input can assist you in determining what’s missing and what’s working in the app.
So, get user feedback, as it will help you improve your app’s functionality for a better experience.
It is easier to understand how to create a social network app by understanding the technology underpinning such apps. Here’s a rundown of the technologies you require for app development.
Tracking app results is just as crucial as development. Metrics and KPIs assist you in understanding how the app functions regarding user acquisition, retention, and revenue generation.
Here are important metrics and KPIs for mobile apps, divided into user engagement and income.
This group’s metrics aid in understanding how the app performs regarding users, engagement, and retention.
After releasing the app, you should monitor the following metrics to determine its significance.
Revenue-focused indicators show how the app generates revenue. Here are some of the measures to keep an eye out for.
Cost Per Install (CPI): It allows you to determine how much each app installation costs.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): This statistic calculates the total cost of obtaining a new customer. It considers all expenditures, including advertising, marketing, and other costs.
Burn rate: It tells about the money a company spends on staff, sales, marketing or other operations each month.
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU): It displays the average revenue generated by each user. This KPI enables you to examine your revenue model and determine its performance.
Creating a successful social media app requires a proper understanding of the market, audience, value proposition, design, etc. Therefore, consider following all the steps above to make a mark in 2024 with your app. However, if you are looking forward to hiring a social media app development company but are concerned about your budget, do not worry because Onyxtec has your back. We are a team of experts who create high-quality apps within a budget and timeline.
Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, WeChat, and TikTok are the leading apps with billions of users who are active on a monthly basis.
Developing an app is pretty straightforward; however, planning and strategizing the app is challenging.