Can you remember the last time your day ended without ever scrolling through these unique reels on Instagram or TikTok? Have you ever considered taking a picture without considering these awesome social media filters? Yes, social media applications have grown more than any other type of application over the years.
A Forbes report indicates that the total number of social media users in 2023 across the world reached 4.9 billion and is expected to reach 5.85 billion by 2027. Not just the audience but as a startup app also, social media use cases have been profitable.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the social media market is growing at a CAGR of 17.09%, with an expected revenue of $81.42 billion in 2024 and $179.22 billion by 2029. Meta, Byte Dance, Google, Twitter, and Snapchat are five major social media companies.
So if you are an entrepreneur, the social media market seems to be an attractive choice. However, whether you will have a profitable business in this cluttered market depends on the idea of using social media apps.
How unique your app is and what features it offers makes all the difference. In this article, you will discover some of the best social media app ideas. But first, you need to understand the process of discovery!
- Over 5 billion people use social media globally, representing 62.6% of the world's population, according to DataReportal. This means a massive potential audience exists.
- The number of users keeps growing, with an increase of 259 million users in the last year, reflecting a 5.4% annual growth rate.
- The US boasts over 302 million social media users, which translates to a social media penetration rate exceeding 91%, as per Statista.
- Engagement varies across platforms and industries. Averages on Facebook hover around 0.064%, with sports teams and influencers reaching higher engagement (0.27% and 0.23%, respectively), according to Global social media statistics.
Steps To Develop A Unique Social Networking App Idea
Developing a social media application requires consideration of several factors. So if you are brainstorming ideas for social media applications, you need extensive market research. This is crucial to determine product market fit and understand the feasibility of your idea.
Here are some crucial steps to build your social media app,
- Research the existing social media applications
- Take online and offline surveys of social media app users
- Conduct interviews with social media influencers to understand existing gaps
- Identify key opportunities in these gaps for your social media app idea
- Realize the niche you want to target with your social media application
- Brainstorm features that can fill gaps in existing social media experience
- Develop minimum viable features and run pilots among specific users
- Repeat the process for A/B testing until you figure out the best features
- Build your application and deploy it across the Play Store
- Test, monitor, and maintain the performance of the application
Following the above steps, you can build unique social media applications. A crucial aspect of social media app ideas is a distinctive feature that acts as a differentiator.
For example, video feeds for shorter content were the differentiator for TikTok, which is now a phenomenon that inspires Instagram reels and YouTube shorts.
So, if you have an idea for an application that helps users enhance social experience, now is the time to test and enter the market- WHY?
To understand the importance of social media apps in the current era you need to analyze the current social media landscape.
Social media and networking industry: Facts and statistics
- More than 5.17 billion users worldwide use social media applications
- Among several social media app options an average user uses 6.7 different platforms
- Internet users worldwide use social media applications for 2 hours and 23 minutes per day
- TikTok is the faster growing platform with a 100% growth rate between 2020 and 2022
- Facebook is one of the most used social media applications with more than 3 billion monthly active users
Now that you know how the social media industry is growing rapidly, being a part of this market requires a distinction. You need a unique idea for your application to stand apart amidst competition.
Unique Social Media App Ideas For Entrepreneurs
In a competitive market like that of social media app startups, you need something out of the box to be disruptive.
Corporate networking app
Forget LinkedIn you can build a social media apps idea around connecting professionals with real-time collabs and build a community around it. While this seems like a good idea for web app development, you can go beyond the usual.
For example, a startup app that you can build for corporate networking invites exclusive clubs for specific professionals.
Unlike LinkedIn or Clubhouse, such an application offers exclusivity for CEOs, CTOs, and top-level C-suite executives to connect, brainstorm, and build a community of professionals.
Video Social Networking App
A Video Social Networking startup app can change the way users share and connect with content online. You can offer features like live streaming where users can broadcast videos to their followers, enabling real-time sharing of events.
Further you can design video chat rooms for asynchronous communication allowing groups of users to create and participate in discussions on shared interests.
Another key feature to add in your idea for a social media app is premier video-sharing capabilities. It allows users to share high-quality videos and create communities around it.
Adding augmented reality filters and editing tools can help your users build a creative environment to customize videos.
Photo-Sharing Social Media App
A photo-sharing social media app idea can focus on creating and sharing capabilities of a user’s photographic journeys.
You can integrate features like photo albums and stories. Location tagging can, However, with the recent exhaustion over apps like Instagram, you can look to bring a fresh perspective to photo-sharing applications.
For example, you can leverage an idea for an app that allows users to share pictures within their close circle only. This privacy-focused app will allow users to define their circles and securely share images.
Social apps for communities
Social media applications that help users build communities and maintain the security of connections within a specified limit are some of the best startup apps. This is because such apps allow users to engage in a secure environment with like-minded people.
Take an example of fitness-based social media applications that allow users to share updates on their workouts, diets, and other daily activities within the community.
You can create such social media applications providing features like an inner circle where users can choose whom to interact with within the community.
Relationship Networks
Whether it’s Tinder or Bumble, relationship-based applications have been successful. However, these apps focus mostly on romantic relationships. This is where you can create social media applications that focus on different relationships like father-son, mother-daughter, or many such relationships to build a network.
Such an app can revitalize the relationship dynamics, allowing parents to bond better with their children and even share parenting tips with others.
Writers’ Social Network App
This idea app for your startup can be fruitful financially and in terms of engagement. You can create a social media app idea for building a community of writers. This app would allow writers across genres and niches to connect.
Further, these writers can collaborate on different projects, and you can charge a small fee as a facilitator. You can allow writers to post their achievements on the platform.
All in one app
Lastly you can merge all of the above app ideas into a single super application that provides users with features to create communities across professionals, relatives, friends, and colleagues.
The best way to build such an app idea is to take feedback from peers and users to understand their needs. Based on the surveys, you can decide which of the above features can be the core focus of your application.
However, you will need some advanced features to enhance the social media experience of users and create a differentiator for your startup app.
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Best Trending Feature Ideas to Add to Your Social Media App
Social media apps are continually developing creative features to meet the needs of their users. So, If you want your social media app to stand out from the competition, you should consider incorporating trending features like AR filters, live video streaming, and multi-language support.
1. AR and Face Filters
Augmented reality (AR) and face filters have become increasingly popular on social media platforms, Popular apps like Snapchat provide such filters that allow users to enhance photos and videos. You can integrate AR technology into your app to provide users with a more engaging and interactive experience.
For example, Instagram launched AR filters using Spark AR which is a tool to create augmented reality face filters from Facebook. Similarly, you can add more creative filters for your application.
2. Transient Content
Transient content, such as stories and posts that disappear after a set time, has become a popular feature. This feature encourages users to share more frequent and authentic updates, leading to increased engagement.
It induces a sense of FOMO among users who comes everyday on your social media application and posts for engagement.
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Chatbots
AI-based technologies are already changing the way users interact with businesses. But integration of advanced chatbots and AI-based assistants can improve the credibility of your social media app.
Most social media apps rely on user-generated content(UGC), and moderating such data can be complex. Modern generative AI algorithms can help your app users overcome issues with UGC.
According to Mordor Intelligence, AI in the social media market is set to grow at a CAGR of 28.04% which clearly suggests how important it is for your app idea.
4. Live Video Streaming
Live video streaming is already popular on many social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. It allows users to connect in real-time. If you include the live video streaming feature it can provide users with a more immersive and interactive experience.
Especially if your idea for an app is based on professional communities like writer’s group or developer’s community, live video streaming can be crucial. It will allow these professionals to connect with each other for collaborations and even podcasting.
5. Multi-Language Support
Social media app ideas need to be designed for a global audience. So, you need to add a multi-language support feature for such apps. It makes the app accessible to users around the world and breaks the language barrier allowing your user base to scale with increased engagement.
6. The Virtual Reality (VR) Shift
VR paradigm shift is already here, and tech giants like Facebook are creating an ecosystem for social media applications to leverage this advanced technology. The Facebook Horizon facilitates virtual workrooms, and interactive spaces for users to connect.
You can integrate VR features to allow users to connect virtually, experience unique content, and have immersive interactions.
Brainstorm and build your app
Now that you have a stream of ideas and features to work on, it’s time to brainstorm and create the best social media app idea. Remember you need to follow a minimum viable idea principle where any idea needs some testing before developing a startup app.
The best approach is to hire professionals that can help you with testing app ideas, and the development process.
Zennaxx is one of the leading Social media app development company with years of experience in helping startups build such applications. Contact us now to learn more about our development services.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- HOW DO YOU DEVELOP A UNIQUE SOCIAL NETWORKING APP?
- Start by defining your target audience and unique purpose. Next, determine product-market fit to ensure your app meets user needs. Explore innovative features and design elements to make your app stand out.
- WHAT ARE SOME NEW SOCIAL MEDIA APP IDEAS?
- For targeted platforms, consider niche markets and specific audience interests. Explore virtual and augmented reality for unique experiences. Prioritize security-conscious users with privacy-focused features and communication tools.
- WHAT IS THE COST OF SOCIAL MEDIA APP DEVELOPMENT?
- Several factors can affect the costs of developing an app, including the platform selected, the features required, and the rates charged by developers. The cost can range from $10,000 for a basic single-platform app to over $100,000 for a complex multi-platform solution. Potential revenue streams, such as in-app purchases or advertisements, can help offset development costs.
- HOW MUCH DOES HIRING AN APP DEVELOPER IN 2024 COST?
- Hourly rates for app developers vary from $25 to $250 for domestic and offshore developers. Project-based pricing can range from $2,000 to $150,000 depending on complexity. Ongoing maintenance and marketing expenses should be planned and budgeted.
