Social media platforms are all the rage these days. There are hundreds of networks for people to share their lives, ideas and interests. But starting your own social network isn’t as easy as setting up a Facebook account. It requires vision, strategy and hard work! To help you get started on this journey, we’ve put together some tips that will help you launch your own platform:
Table of Contents
Do Your Homework
It’s important to do your homework before launching a social media platform. There are many factors that can determine the success of your company, but one of the most important is knowing what you’re getting into and where your strengths lie.
- Know Your Audience
Who are they? Where are they? What do they like? How old are they? These questions are all very important when trying to figure out if there’s room for another social media platform in the marketplace or not. You want to make sure that there isn’t already something similar out there doing exactly what you want yours do (or at least close enough). If so, then perhaps another type of business would be better suited for launching at this time rather than starting something entirely new from scratch–but only if it suits your strengths better!
Create a Vision
Having a clear vision is one of the most important steps in starting a social media platform. This is where you will lay out your goals and how you plan to achieve them. You should also consider who your target audience is, as well as what they need from you in order to be successful.
Your vision should include:
- What is the purpose of your network? Why do people need it? Will it fill a gap in their lives, or help them with something they already struggle with?
- What are some specific goals for this network (and does it have an end goal)? For example, if someone starts an Instagram account with the intention of sharing photos from around town every day, then perhaps after six months they might want more followers so that more people could see their work; another person may just want more likes on each photo because she enjoys having lots of positive feedback on her pictures–whatever works! The key here is thinking about what would make sense for each individual person who wants to use your platform so that everyone gets something out of using it rather than having one set goal for everyone involved which doesn’t really fit into anyone’s needs at all.”
Know Your Audience
If you want to launch your own social media platform, the first step is knowing your audience.
The best way to do this is by conducting research and listening closely. You need to understand their needs and preferences; know their pain points; learn about their demographics (age range, gender, etc.) as well as how they behave online. This information will help guide how you design the site so that it’s useful for them in ways they don’t even realize yet!
Identify the Value of your Platform
The first step to starting a social media platform is to identify the value your network will provide to its users. This can be done by looking at other successful networks, as well as your own personal interests and goals. There are two main ways that platforms offer value: content and interaction.
- Content: If you’re creating a platform where people can share their work with others in their field, then providing new and interesting information may be the way you want to go. Perhaps you want users on your site because they enjoy reading what others have written about a topic that interests them (i.e., food bloggers) or maybe they just like looking at pictures of cats (no judgment). Regardless of why people might choose to join your network over another one, identifying why this content would appeal specifically “to” them is crucial for success later on down the line when marketing yourself properly outside of just word-of-mouth conversations among friends who’ve joined already.”
Decide on a Platform
Once you’ve determined the type of business you want to launch, it’s time to decide on which social media platform will best serve your needs.
- Determine whether or not there is an existing platform that fits with your audience and goals. For example, if you’re launching an online clothing store for plus-sized women and want a community where they can interact with each other in real time, Facebook groups may be a good option for this purpose because they allow members to post photos and leave comments on each other’s posts (thereby creating a community). However, if another site already has such functionality built into its infrastructure–like Instagram or Pinterest–then there might not be any reason for starting up yet another group site just because they’re popular now!
- Look at how much time it takes maintain each channel; if it requires too much effort just keep tabs on what others are saying about them (without contributing anything yourself), then maybe take some tips instead
Make it Mobile-Friendly
There are many reasons why you should make your platform mobile-friendly. First, mobile devices are the future. In fact, more than half of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices and that number is only going to increase over time. Second, users on mobile platforms tend to be more engaged than those who browse via desktop computers; they spend more time on websites and apps that have been designed for smartphones or tablets (or both). This means more chances for them to interact with your content and products!
Thirdly: if people use your network regularly enough while they’re out and about–whether it’s at home or work–it increases their chances of spending money within the app itself rather than just visiting once in awhile when they’ve got some downtime during lunch break/commute home/etcetera., which means even greater potential revenue streams down line…
Choose a Name, Icon and Logo
When it comes to naming your social media platform, there are several things to consider. First, you want to make sure that your name is memorable and easy for users to remember. If they can’t remember your network, they won’t be able to find it again later on!
Second, avoid using common words or names in the title of your social media network because this will make it harder for people who are searching for a particular topic (such as “food”) in Google or Bing search engines. You should also avoid using popular brands or celebrities’ names unless they have given permission for their use on other sites first–this includes celebrities who may appear in photos posted by others on Facebook or Instagram (for example). Thirdly: keep it short and simple! Long titles aren’t very attractive visually either; so keep them at around 8 characters maximum if possible! Finally – think about whether there needs to be any punctuation marks within those 8 characters? For example would “My Awesome Story” be better than just plain old “MyAwesomeStory”?
Build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the most basic version of your product. It is a way to test the market and get feedback from users on what they want.
An MVP could be as simple as a landing page with one form, or it could be an app that gives you access to certain features but not all of them. The important thing is that it allows people to experience your product in some way and give their opinion on how it works for them, whether positive or negative.
Starting and growing a social media platform is as hard as it sounds, but having a plan can help you succeed.
Starting and growing a social media platform is as hard as it sounds, but having a plan can help you succeed. Here are some key tips for getting started:
- Have a clear vision for your network and stick to it.
- Know your audience and their needs, so that you can cater to them in all aspects of the site’s design and content strategy.
- Identify the value of your network–what makes yours different from others? What will make people want to use it over other networks? How do they benefit from being on this platform versus any others out there? This will help shape the type of content posted on the site (and by extension its design), who should be posting it (and where), etcetera ad infinitum…
Conclusion
Social media is becoming more and more important in today’s world. There are many benefits of having your own platform, but it can also be very costly if you don’t plan ahead. The most important thing when starting a new social media network is knowing what type of audience you want to reach with your messages and how they will benefit from using this tool in their lives. Once you know what type of people would use your site regularly or even weekly then start thinking about how this could benefit them or others around them too!