Gone are the days when social apps were only used for connecting with friends and for entertainment. In today’s modern times, things have changed drastically and have evolved into a better version of itself, and social media is no exception. Today, social media platforms are serving as a great tool not just for communication purposes but also in helping businesses to grow. They are making HR tasks more efficient and straightforward and are enhancing the marketing efforts of the companies.
According to Statista, there were almost 2.95 billion social media users in the year 2019, and this number is expected to rise to approx 3.43 billion in the coming years. The figures stated simply predict that with time, more and more users, including the businesses, are actively utilizing the social media platforms to grow their business and enhance their knowledge. Hence, it is the perfect time to invest in a social media app. And while talking of the trending social media platforms, one such app that has gained enormous popularity in recent days is LinkedIn.
LinkedIn, a popular social media app that is designed specifically for businesses and marketers is trending in the global market these days. The app lets the professionals and companies create their profiles so that they can search for the relevant leads, customers, or even a perfect job. Talking about the user-base, LinkedIn had almost 660 million active users in the year 2019, with over 90 million as the skilled influencers, and 63 million as decision-makers! That’s amazing! The figures above clearly depict that LinkedIn is, without a doubt, the future trend for marketers and professionals.
So, why not invest in an app like LinkedIn!
But, what is the cost of developing an app like LinkedIn? What are the features that you should include? What are the technological platforms that you should leverage? Don’t worry; you will get every answer of yours here in this article. So, without wasting further, let’s get started!
How Does LinkedIn Work?
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site that is specifically designed for marketers and professionals. It offers an intuitive interface and user-friendly functionalities to all its users that are mostly composed of employees, employers, HR admins, and decision-makers. Many influencers, millennials, and people from Gen Z are also a part of the robust LinkedIn app. The users have to register themselves on the platform to access millions of job openings, online training sessions, and to hire thousands of expert professionals. According to sources, there are almost 30 million company profiles active on the LinkedIn platform in recent times.
The LinkedIn platform also offers the user to build connections and expand their search results. For that, you simply need to send the connection requests to the person you want to connect. After they accept your connection requests, you can seamlessly communicate with each other on the platform, or can even look at each other’s achievements, certificates, or even the recently liked activities. And if you think that building connections have only these benefits, then wait, there’s more to it!
1. The connection building can serve as a robust tool to access the connection of various connections. Meaning, you can seamlessly connect to more professionals and experts that are on your connection’s list.
2. Building connections is also beneficial in finding more relevant jobs and training courses that can help you to grow.
3. The employers can generate high traffic on their posts, and can also find a perfectly suitable candidate through proper connection building.
4. The users can post their relevant certificates and can attract top employers in their related fields. According to sources, almost 35.5 million users got a job through their connections.
5. They can also post the videos or images related to their field, or even associated with a social cause, to spread information amongst the global audience.
6. If you are thinking that LinkedIn is only for finding jobs, then you need to know more. Using the robust platform, you can even wish others on their birthdays, work anniversaries, or new achievements.
So, these were some of the benefits of the LinkedIn application. And because of such amazing benefits, the platform has generated a whopping revenue of almost 6.7 billion in the year 2019!
The facts predict that more and more users today are being attracted to the robust LinkedIn platform, and hence, the time is perfect to launch an app like LinkedIn in the global market.
What things to be kept in mind while developing an app like LinkedIn?
Now that you are convinced enough to invest in an app like LinkedIn, here are a few critical things you should consider.
1. Know Your Competitors
The first and foremost thing that you need to consider while developing a social media app like LinkedIn is to know your competitors. You need to analyze your competitors before initializing the development process effectively. Get to know about their user-base, what features they offer, who are their target audiences, and so on. For that, you can ask specific questions to global customers like which social media apps do they use, what features amaze them, what features they think are irrelevant, etc.
To make your work simpler, we have listed down some top social media apps that are used by a large proportion of users.
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Meetup
Meetup is a top alternative of LinkedIn, which is widely used in the global market these days. It is an amazing platform that enables you to create or join any local meetups. Meaning, as soon as you create your profile on the app and mention your hobbies and interests, the app notifies you of any local meetup based on your interests. The local meetups can consist of professional meetings, hobbies, interests, and so on. All in all, the app seamlessly connects the link-minded people.
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Xing
Xing is another robust social media platform that is gaining momentum these days. Xing is also an alternative to LinkedIn that connects professionals and like-minded people. You can join several groups to stay updated with all the seminars and conferences happening in your relevant field. Furthermore, you can post jobs, research different companies, and can even apply for a relevant job using the Xing app. Xing is used in over 200 countries and is widely used in Europe. The basic version is free, while the advanced version is paid.
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Opportunity
If you are someone who is actively seeking a professional matchmaking site, then Opportunity is a perfect choice. Opportunity is a professional site that efficiently connects job seekers with job providers. Meaning, the app notifies the users whenever there is an ideal matching job for the user. Furthermore, the user can also discover other professionals of the same niche or different expertise.
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Jobcase
Jobcase, developed in 2009, is a pretty unique social media app that is trending in the global market. Jobcase has a plethora of data regarding the current job openings, and about the upcoming hirings by the top companies. Once you create a profile, you can access thousands of jobs and can join various groups to participate in crucial discussions and conferences.
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Lunchmeet
Last but not least is Lunchmeet. Lunchmeat is again a top trending clone of LinkedIn that is trending in the global market. This powerful social media app helps you connect with the local professionals of the same interests and hobbies. You can set up your profile and set up a time slot for a meeting with other professionals.
2. Custom Design and Development
The first and foremost aspect that you need to consider while planning to develop an app like LinkedIn is to go for custom mobile app development. That’s because a custom mobile app will have all the essential and advanced functionality that you will need to enhance your business operations. It will cover all the vital features and functionalities that fits best over your customer’s needs and wants. So, it is wise to opt for an experienced software development company like Matellio for the development of your social media app.
3. Development Platform
Another crucial thing you need to consider is the development platform. You need to be very sure about the choice of platform that you will use for the development of your social media app. For that, you can run a survey consisting of the number of users using a particular platform, viz. Android, or iOS. You can also opt for cross-platform app development to target a wide user-base.
4. User-friendly Features
Now that you are well aware of the competitor’s data, the next step is to create a mobile app that could outgrow your competitors. To make your work more simplified, we have listed some of the features that you can include in your app, like LinkedIn.
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SignUp/Login
You can enable your users to log in or sign up on your app using their basic details like username, email, and a unique password.
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Profile Creation
The users can seamlessly create a robust profile with their achievements, certificates, work experience, and much more, to connect with the people of the same interest.
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Messaging
The functionality lets your users message other professionals, or influencers seamlessly to connect more efficiently.
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Connections
The users can leverage the functionality to build connections and to increase the reach of your job postings.
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Post Update
The users can seamlessly post a video, an image, or a job opening on their profile to inform the users or to educate them.
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Job Search
A robust feature that enables your users to search for a relevant job or online training through smart filters.
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Commenting
You can comment seamlessly on other’s posts, or can even tag your friends on a specific post using this functionality.
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Notifications
Real-time notification functionality to update your users of every new message, new app update, or related job posting.
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Live Video
The users can leverage the live video features to communicate with other users in real-time and to increase the traffic on their page or post.
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Newsfeed
The newsfeed is the main landing page that opens at first when the user first login on the app. All the job posting, videos, images, and posts can be seen on this page.
5. Security Compliance
While developing any sort of software solution, or any mobile application, you need to be very sure about the security features. Meaning, your application should be secured and updated according to all the compliances and state regulations. It should follow all the vital rules and laws and should consist of an updated security system and tools to protect the vital data of the users. For that, you can consult an experienced mobile app development company. An experienced firm is very well aware of all the challenges that might come during the development process and knows the answers to all those issues. Also, the expert developers of an experienced firm will help you in integrating various features that will be needed to outgrow your competitor.
What is the cost of developing an app like LinkedIn?
So, finally, we are in the last section of our article – the cost of developing an app like LinkedIn. Like any other on-demand app, the cost of developing an app like LinkedIn depends on many crucial factors. To name a few, we have:
1. Features included
The cost will certainly vary based on how many features you have opted to include in your mobile app. Also, the complexities involved in creating an app with all those features would be considered.
2. Platform opted
You can choose from two different platforms for your app development, viz. iOS, or Android. Although most people choose cross-app development to target more audiences.
3. Development Cost
The cost would also include development and UX/UI charges. The development charges usually vary as per the location. For instance, if you choose development companies from the USA, it will undoubtedly cost you more.
4. Design Charges
There is no aspect of creating an app with robust features if your app isn’t user-friendly. So, the design department mainly focuses on making your app’s design aesthetic and user-friendly.
Besides, there are certain more costs involved in making a useful mobile app. You can reach out to us to get a free quotation for your mobile app development.
Final Takeaway!
To conclude, we can say that the world is evolving towards a more digital era, and mobile apps are one of the needed tools that can help your company to grow efficiently. And while talking of popularity, social media apps have gained enough momentum during the past few years. Not only for communication, but people are also leveraging social media apps to find their perfect job. Hence, it’s high time that you also invest in a social media app and grow your business over time. Got more questions? Whether you want to know more, or you want to build a social media app, you can contact us anytime you want. So, what are you waiting for, book a free 30-min consultation today! Visit https://www.matellio.com/request-a-quote
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