10 Steps to Create a Competing Social Network
Social networks are a crucial part of people’s lives. The eldest today use Facebook, for example. Young persons prefer apps like Instagram or Tik-Tok. Mostly, they use a bunch of additional apps to improve the quality of their pictures and videos. Such apps help users to gain popularity and social recognition. Most of these networks started very small. For instance, Tik-Tok appeared in 2017 in China. In the beginning, it had only a hundred downloads. But in 2018, it had millions. It even became the most used app of the year. As developers can see, if the platform has success, then it is turned into more user-friendly ones and are available in Google Store. Let’s take a look at the 10 steps a programmer needs to follow to create their own social network.
1. Do Research
It is crucial to define who is going to use the app. If the focus is teens, then the network needs to include fun filters, music, and many options to stay connected with others. For example, people use additional apps to make their user experience brighter. Mostly, these are apps to edit and design pictures. If you take a closer look at any photo editor app, you can get glimpses of what extra features your social network can be equipped with.
2. Think About a Strategy
The market is full of options today. From Facebook and Twitter to YouTube and SoundCloud. How is this new platform going to keep up? Hire specialists that can help in this effort.
3. Understand How Much You Have to Spend
There are many aspects to consider under this point. For example, you need to budget a web designer and hosting. Plus, the marketing effort (emails, direct copy, flyers) are also costly.
4. Learn About UX
If the dashboard is too hard to use, clients are likely to go to another network. To avoid this situation, learn more about UX design. This way, it is easy to craft a page and a dashboard that anybody can use without difficulty.
5. Decide on Features
The new specs and features included will make the difference. Each page has its own thing that makes them unique. SoundCloud, for example, focuses on music. What will the new one be about?
6. Go for Promotion
Another important step after creating the web. Without letting people know about the new network, there would not be any users. Owners have to be careful with the budget they want to use. And they need to know where to post so the audience will see it.
7. Look for Partners
It’s not possible to succeed without help. So, any programmer that wants to create their own social media network will need to look for a partner. It could be a web developer, a designer, or any pro in the field.
8. Identify Influencers
Now it’s time to spread the word about the new platform. Using influencers for this is a great idea, as they have a lot of influence over new audiences and for a low cost most of the time.
9. Make it Accessible
Finally, creating a mobile version of one’s site is very wise. Today, most people access the Internet using a smartphone. If a social network is accessible on the phone, then it is likely to be more popular.
10. Sell it!
If the idea was very successful and profitable, then it is a good idea to sell it. This is what Whatsapp did with Facebook and Youtube did the same with Google. In exchange, they got incredibly large sums of money.
All in all, creating a network from scratch is not as difficult as it seems. Of courses, the person needs to know a lot about programming. Plus, this man or woman will have to partner with others who can help with the promotion of the site. After all, if nobody knows the network, nobody will sign up. It’s true that competition is fierce but, if the idea is good, it is surely going to succeed. The only thing that matters is the will to do it.