A Complete Guide on How to Develop a Social Media App

We can hardly find a person not using social media platforms in today’s digital world. Social media apps have changed the ways of communicating with people, whether it is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and many more. Social networking websites can define culture, education, politics, media, and business. 

According to the latest figures, 4.89 billion persons will be using social media platforms in 2023 around the world, with an increase of 6.5% from 2022, and it will increase by six billion in 2027. 

This success and popularity of social media platforms let business owners contemplate the process of developing their social media applications. If you are also one of those looking for social media app development but need help with how to start, you are at the right place. 

This social media app development write-up by our top mobile app development company In Bangalore service providers will help you familiarize yourself with everything you should know before creating your social media platform. The guide will also help you check whether the decision to develop the app is viable for the business. 

So, without further ado, it is time to jump to the details. 

Market Statistics of Social Media Applications

• As per Statista, the top social media platform, Facebook, has around 2.9 billion monthly active users.
• Reports have found that the average time people spend on social media platforms daily is 2 hours and 24 minutes.
• According to Insider Intelligence, in 2023, social media advertisements will account for 25.5% of digital ads. It shows that business firms will spend more on ads in the coming years. 

• From 2023 to 2030, the social application market will grow at a CAGR rate of 26.2%. 

These numbers show that social media apps have a good market, so it is the right decision to invest in creating a mobile app. Therefore, let us begin exploring the social media app development process for 2023. 

Types of Social Media Platforms 

Before starting with the social media app development process, it is essential to know the social media platforms that suit your organization. It will help you understand the market and meet the needs of your brand audience, offering functionality to your users.

1. Social Networks 

Top Platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook 

The primary motive of social network apps is to connect with people globally. For example, Facebook lets users chat, voice call, video call, and share ideas with other users. LinkedIn is a business networking app that helps connect people and acts as a job-searching portal for several people. 

2. Discussion Forums

Top Platforms: Quora 

Social media apps like Quora help users to ask questions, answer queries, and connect on different topics. The platform has gained popularity recently as the digital population has started looking for solutions online.

3. Content Sharing Network 

Top Platforms: Flipboard, Pinterest 

Content-sharing platforms like Flipboard and Pinterest allow users to find and save resources from various content, such as websites, images, and videos. These platforms have functionalities and features to transform the way of content consumption by the users, allowing users to save and share content with others.

4. Media Sharing Network 

Top Platforms: Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat 

These media-sharing network applications let customers share media content online. They can share photos, videos, and reels to connect with other users. These recent updates have blurred the thin line between media-sharing and social media networks. For example, Instagram has almost the same features as Facebook. Another one is YouTube, where users come to entertain video content of different genres.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Social Media Application

For building a social media application, you will require a team of skilled professionals involving- 

• Project Manager 
• iOS and Android Developers 
• UI/UX Developers 
• QA Specialists 
• Frontend and Backend Engineers. 

It is easy to understand the process of developing a social media app after discovering the technology stacks required to create the type of app. Therefore, here are some popular technologies necessary for your social media app development process. 

The Social Media Application Development Process

The social media app creation starts here as the development of a social application is a journey that includes planning and execution of the app in a series of essential social media app development steps, each having their crucial role.

Step 1- Outlining the Ideas 

• The first step of social media app development is defining the social media app development purpose, knowing the target audience, and finding the value proposition. 
• For this, research the market, brainstorm business ideas, and outline the features and functionalities of your application that will set it apart from the competitors. Find the milestones and set goals for a smooth app development process.  

Step 2- Search for an App Development Company 

• The next step is to contact an experienced social media app development company like Indglobal Digital Private Limited, the leading app development company in Bangalore with a proven track of offering top social media applications at affordable rates to clients. 
• It will help you understand their work and find how they can partner with you in the social media app development journey.

Step 3- Design the Business Proposal 

• In the next step, the app development company discusses the business requirements to design a business proposal. It is a roadmap of the social media app development process for understanding the project and finding how the process will unfold. 
• The proposal includes the app development timeline and technology the social media app developers will use to create the application.

Step 4- Plan the Social Media App Design 

• The next step is to plan the social media app design to fit on all the screens and find the necessary features of the application. 
• At Indglobal, our app developers get suggestions from Apple and Google to develop and design social media apps. We assemble all the illustrations that are easy to understand to develop and design the application. 

Step 5- App Development Stage 

At this stage, the app designers deliver the final draft to the social media app developers to start creating a masterpiece. The app development phase includes a structured timeline divided into parts, each encompassing around two weeks.

The developers develop a frontend and backend infrastructure that provides power to your social media application. A secured database stores the customer’s data and integrates services to handle the application’s storage requirements. 

Step 6- Testing 

After the social media app development with all the functionalities, quality assurance engineers test the the application. Check the malfunctions and add them to bug reports. These reports are the roadmap for the app developers to help them address and resolve the issues to increase the application’s performance and experience.

Step 7- Launch and Maintenance   

The last step is to finalize the social media application by the developers to entrust the final version to you. Launch the application for your target audience and update it accordingly to keep it refined. 

Social media app development is the process of evolution and upgrades. Follow these steps to create an appealing social networking application to meet the user’s requirements and rank higher in the digital world.

Conclusion 

Starting the journey of social media app development is like venturing into endless possibilities like Quora, Facebook, Instagram, etc. In this digital world, online interactions have become an essential part of day-to-day activities. 

To develop a social media application, partner with the best app development company like us. With great expertise across all mobile app development platforms, including Android and iOS, you can trust your tech partner to transform your business ideas into reality.

The social media development and consulting services at Indglobal include customized social media and messaging apps to perfect app development. Our skilled team of app development professionals works in the mobile app development field and has helped people across all industries with social media applications.

Now, it is your time to leap as the world of social media app development waits for you. Meet the team at the leading mobile app development company in Bangalore and contact our team of social media app developers to start the journey to stay ahead in the future of the digital world.