While online and mobile platform interaction has changed over the years, social media continues to be the dominant part of the cyber world. Why is that? Because it's become a way that people can express themselves, their interests and let their friends know about new things they've found.
Usually, when social media is referenced, people immediately start thinking of the big platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. However, there are many other networks out there, some of which have more specific niches and purposes. Maybe you're looking to build a social app because you want a friendly community of like-minded people who can express themselves, or you want a place of fun and thrill that fills the voids of other social media platforms.
Whatever your industry may be, whatever your reason for looking into mobile app development, we can help you take it from the realm of good ideas to a social media app that aligns with your business goals.
What Are The Different Types Of Social Media Platforms?
Different kinds of platforms have different purposes. You don't want to copycat another platform without offering a distinct alternative that would give users a reason to join you over that competitor. Some of the types of social media applications include:
Friend Finding Platforms
Many people go on social media because they like to make sure they always see what their friends are up to, and not just local friends. They may want to stay in touch with college friends or look up old high school friends they may not have seen in years. Some people may actually want to make new friends they haven't met before, or if they've just moved to a new place they may be trying to connect with locals there. Often friend listing is the primary reason for using social media.
Photo and Video Posting Platforms
Some social media sites are especially geared towards people who love taking photos and sharing them, or making videos of hobbies they do. Videos tend to make interacting even more exciting and fun.
Telling Stories
Many platforms also exist so their users can tell stories whether they're written, photo stories or video stories. Word of mouth news or funny personal stories can travel fast through social media, so it's not surprising many individuals and businesses like using it to share developing stories, success stories or previous experiences.
Brand Promotion
More and more businesses like to use social media because they can find more customers there and get their brand out to more people. In some cases they may also find new business partners by being a part of a particular business community.
Creating a Social App: The Process
Planning out social application development starts out by determining its mission, and then doing some market research to see what aspects about a new app could appeal to new people based on user experience. Then you need to work with a development team on the beta versions of your social app or website, and run tests to make sure it looks the way you want and runs smoothly. Once it's ready to launch, you need to make sure you have the right marketing strategy to bring in your target audience.
What Kind of Functions Does A Social App Have?
Appealing User Interface and Profile Design
You want to make sure your social app design is appealing to your users and organized so it's easy to use. Everything should flow well so that when users sign up, they can setup their profiles quickly but have them looking how they want, and have the settings easy to find.
Strong Search Engines for People, Places and Things
To be able to find friends, business brands and other things, your users have to be able to search for them. How you design your platform search interface will go a long way in how you're able to retain users.
Strong Messaging and Communication Features
When people want to talk to their friends, they like to be able to instant message and get to them immediately. Some social media apps have more of an email kind of messaging feature, some have live instantaneous messaging and others have both. But a reliable messaging feature is definitely a must on a social app.
Games and Other Fun Activities
Not every social app necessarily has games, but bringing games or fun contests to your platform is one thing that can keep users coming back for more. They don't even have to be big fancy games that take complex graphic design. As long as they’re engaging, these might just be simple word games or content contests.
What Kind Of Social Trends Should Be Considered When Creating A Social App?
As you launch your social app, you may want to look at the social media landscape to see other trends out there. With social media today, there's a few you should keep in mind:
Integrating With Both Mobile Devices and Traditional Computers
It is true that since the number of mobile users has increased so dramatically over the last few years, having your social media platform on a mobile app is now practically a must. But it’s important that you have a regular website with the same features as well, because there is still a significant number of regular desktop and laptop users out there who you won't want to alienate.
Integrating Payment Platforms
More and more social apps and other platforms are looking at merging entertainment or premium content onto their sites, and this may be something you want to consider. This means making online and mobile payments more accessible whether through bank cards, credit cards or processors like PayPal. Mobile banking is definitely something to keep an eye on in social media.
User Privacy and Data Use
While marketing, e-commerce and premium content are starting to make their way to social media, some of the big tech companies have started to come under fire for just how much user data they collect and how they use it. While big data marketing may be a trend that's not going away, you should have a clear line defined in your social platform about ethics and responsibility when it comes to protecting user data and sharing it.
If you're ready to get started on a social media app and build a whole new community, you should get in touch with our social networks app development team to get you started. We'll help you get it rolling from concept to beta testing phase to fully operational.
