Social media apps are the most popular on the market. However, with lots of big competitors owning the marketplace, it can be intimidating to make your own social media app. There are plenty of opportunities out there for the right kinds of social media apps. Researching the different niches of social media will allow you to see where the best opportunities lie. Here we look at some tips for making your social media app a success. 

What Makes a Great App?

There are three main features that every social media app has. These include feeds, profiles and connections. Every social media site gives these slightly different names, but the initial concept is the same. The best social media apps allow you to create a profile quickly and effortlessly, and some let users link other accounts and import their information from elsewhere.

Feeds need to be engaging, so you want to build a community of people, and fast. Feeds can come from your company, other businesses that may be interested in your app, and through user-generated content. Connections are another huge factor, so having the ability to see friends on the app, or to find like-minded people, will allow connections to flow and users to remain happy. If you have a social media app concept and understand these three factors, you are on your way to something great. 

 Audience

Obviously, the first step in building a successful app is imagining what your audience wants from it. Market research is essential if you want to maintain a vision that is influenced constantly by your target audience. Utilize any family and friends, too; they can be great at seeing things that those closest to creating the app can’t. The more you test functions as you add them, the more problems and solutions can be sought out before the app is released. Your target audience should be happy with the app before release to achieve success. 

Simplicity is Key

In a day where everything is available in a few short clicks, apps that are bogged down with unnecessary steps and slow to load information don’t do well. The younger generations grew up with apps, meaning they are used to having quick information and simply won’t wait around if there is a faster alternative. The key to victory is simplicity; discover anything that works well and then attempt to simplify the process further. Effortless apps are a success no matter your audience. 

Choose a Niche

However there are many niches out there that still don’t have a successful social media app and some who are ready for a new one. Even if you find a niche that has an app, this doesn’t mean it hasn’t become outdated. Apps aren’t destined to fail if there is competition; you just need to know how to update the idea in a way that will work with the audience of today. There are so many niches out there if you have a good idea.

Whilst general social media apps often fail due to the achievement and popularity of apps such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, niche apps are the best avenue to explore. Pets, beauty, mental health, spirituality, exercise and veganism are just a few of the up-and-coming topics surrounding the internet, making it is easy to see where opportunities for niche markets lie. If you are considering choosing mental health as your niche, learn more about mental health topics such as depression by clicking here.

Watch for Trends

You should always keep yourself updated with the latest social media trends, as well as current app trends. For example, the biggest social media apps in the world now have some form of “stories”, which are short clips or photos that tend to disappear forever after 24 hours. This is a big trend that is popular with most users. 

Whilst social media trends are important, you also need to understand the changing world of trending apps, so you are a success in both fields. With technologies such as wearables and VR coming onto the scene, your app needs to be forward-thinking. Appetiser has a structured and detailed guide on how to create a successful app and can assist you with your mobile app development journey, including how to make a strategy.

Look at Competitor Apps

You should know your competition inside-out, understanding what works well for them and what could be improved from a user point of view. A great way to see what users want from a social media app is to read reviews on the app store, as users will often provide constructive criticism here. This is one of many great market research techniques. Look at the social media apps that failed within your niche and see what their downfall was. This can prevent you from making the same mistakes. 

Understand how to make any app a success, then get to grips with how to make your social media app a success. Combine the two together with an innovative idea, thorough market research and up-to-date knowledge of current trends, and you have a recipe for a successful social media app.