Digitalization has completely changed the means of communication with the advancement of social network platforms. According to a survey, a modern internet user holds more than 5 different social media profiles and spends 2-3 hours on a daily basis on social channels. This number will surely surge in future with more social network platform development.
From a business point of view, social network platforms bring their own set of opportunities and revenue for both large & small organizations. It can help businesses build a community related to their services, boost brand awareness and grow sales. In other words, having a social network platform is a perfect marketing strategy in a competitive digital world.
But for the development of social network platforms, here are the steps involved for desired business outcome.
1. Planning Stage
At the planning stage, define the type of social network platform to build, the target audience and what will engage them to use your platform. It is impossible to start building a social network platform without knowing what type of network. Depending on expertise, you can choose from the popular types below:
# Hobby networks
# Media sharing website
# Informational sites
# Dating platforms
# Educational websites
# Scientific & Academic websites
# Business and professional sites
Identifying the right type helps to target the right audience as well as assist you to determine the network’s key features. Research competitor for better analysis and insights regarding development work. The better you understand the target audience, the higher conversion rates and ROI achieved for the platform.
2. Development Platform
# Depending on the complexity, features, and overall development cost, select platforms having all elements for streamlined social network platform development.
# Social network builders are the perfect solution for basic social networking functionalities like registration, user profile, and messaging. But it is not ideal to monetize because code is not open-source or stored.
# The social media plugins allow creation of basic social networks as per the website you already own. They offer almost all the basic features to connect people and need some technical expertise to install.
# Social media software is the perfect choice for developers who want to build a unique social platform with a tight budget. The software controls data and code. The user has access to advanced social network features including analytics, monetization tools, and SEO.
3. Features to Integrate
In this phase, you need to gather information needed in the planning stage and decide whether features address the needs of your target audience. The first step is to identify essential features needed for every social network website. Some features are based on your need but there are some functionalities your platform cannot miss to integrate. These include the following features:
# Registration
# User Profile
# Newsfeed
# Media file sharing
# Messaging
# Notifications
# Search
# Invitations
And the most important, do not forget to make use of unique features that take you ahead from other websites. These advanced and unique features enhance your user experience as well as provide monetary benefits.
4. User-Friendly Design
The success of a social network platform depends on the user-friendly design. It is important that your target audience enjoy their navigation experience and keep coming back. Having a complex UI/UX design causes serious concerns because it will be difficult to use. A simple, engaging and appealing user interface is the ultimate objective and it will encourage them to use your social network.
5. Testing & Launching
Testing is a critical task having its own relevance apart from the development work. It must be done at every phase ranging from the development to deployment. There are different testing steps to follow like functionality testing, interface testing, compatibility testing, usability testing, performance testing, and security testing. If all the testing work goes smoothly, your website is ready to be launched.
6. Promotion & Measuring Performance
Without proper promotion, it is hard to know about a newly launched social network. Therefore, apply different marketing activities to engage more users for your social network website. You should focus on email marketing, SEO practices, paid ads, lead generation, and overall branding as they are the most effective social marketing tactics for desired business results.
Another crucial step is to measure the network performance. Keep your eyes on key performance indicators like customer acquisition cost, user activation statistics, and user engagement. These metrics reflect your success and how much money you can earn.
Wrapping Up:
Social network platforms are a valuable investment these days but for the development work it will take a lot of time, effort and resources. We couldn’t be more excited about the idea of developing a winning social network platform with you. Contact us now and we will help to ease your path.
