Whenever we speak about social media apps, the names that come in our mind are Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter. It is first important to understand what social networking is to realize the power it holds. Social networks are online platforms that individuals utilize to develop social networks and relations with those who share the same background or interests. Social media platforms provide open forums to people for connecting from all over the globe. Start-up and big brands use it religiously for engaging more and more people. Building a social media app on today’s date has never been more beneficial than now. So the next question you will think about is how to create a social media app. A mobile application development agency is always there to assist you with its services but look at this informative blog post to gain insights first.

Exploring Options for Developing a Social Media App

Do you have a social network idea that you want the entire world to know? If this is your objective, the next question you must think about is creating a social media app. With rapidly evolving technology and an augment in developing the no-code product, you can now find various options for easily building social media apps. When you are firm with your decision, there are four options that you will get for starting the journey of your social media app creation. The options are as follows:

• SaaS Solution: When you choose a SaaS solution for your social media app development, you get exclusive hands-on features. With this, building a social community is possible across mobile as well as the web. Starting from customizing the feel, monetizing the content depending on the preferences and rapidly getting the application up, everything is possible with this option.

• Open Source Software: It is possible to download and configure open-source software on your server. You can get hands-on both free as well as paid options.

• CMS Equipped with A Social Network Extension: If you want to know how to create a social media app site and plugins, there is no better CMS other than WordPress. Though these plugins come for free, nature is a bit rigid. It might be good for social media sites but not for social media applications.

• Building from Scratch: A social network idea that demands you to use advanced technology such as VR filters; for this, the only option you might have is building the application from the beginning. You can always employ a mobile application development agency to help you to attain this.

Features That You Cannot Miss While Creating Your Social Media Application

While starting your social media app developmentendeavor, make sure to incorporate these must-have features as mentioned below:

• Post: Users must be able to publish posts from any place and any time they want. They must have the option of sharing news and discussing various topics with acquaintances or a broader community.

• Notification: Not every time a user wants to log in to the application to get the current updates. Incorporating the feature of notification in your social media application is vital so that users can view all the updates from their smartphone devices instantly.

• Friending Options: Users with this option can follow other people and send friend requests to other people to remain connected at all times. It also means that users will be able to see updates in the news feed.

• Messaging/Chat: When you wonder how to make a social media app,you need to focus more on the features. For instance, you must include the chat feature that will be a private chatting system. Users can engage in chatting in private mode with this feature.

Step by Step Procedure For Building Social Media Application

Proper social media app development includes some vital steps. Follow the steps to be a part of a billion-dollar industry.

• Targeting the Audience: If you are eager to know how to make a social media app like Instagram, you must have a complete understanding of the market. You already know that you are a big player as your competition makes it even more vital to present something to the users that they haven’t seen before.

• Functions and Features: In all social media platforms, features play a very important role. But you need to choose the features that you want to incorporate by depending on the budget, development skills, and limitations.

• Design and Development: Whether your social media appsare for Apple or Android users or both, you need to decide before starting with the social media app development journey. Apple and Android both utilize varied technological stacks.

• Analysis: Making social media apps that you have just created available to users is not everything. Are they successful? With the help of an analytics tool, you can calculate the success of the applications.

Cost Breakdown

When you are new to social media app development, you can either build the app from the beginning or develop applications for Android or iOS. The cost will vary from approximately $95,400 for a single platform (Android or iOS) and $153,890 for two platforms.

Along with the figures, you must always remember that the course you take while building a social media app will largely affect the expenditure. The cost will be less if you are using a CMS or SaaS solution. However, when you pick an open-source solution, you will need to pay for the software, hosting, designer and the developer. Be careful while selecting the route.

Final Say

The good and the bad, you now know everything about how to create a social media app. People these days not just want robust digital connection but simultaneously, they want no strings accorded. There is no better time than now to build your social media application. Don’t mislead yourself by thinking that it will dig a hole in your pocket as there are various SaaS solutions as well that are affordable. If you wish to know about the easiest and quickest way of developing a social media application, then a mobile application development agency is always at your service.