We all know that there are already a ton of great apps out there for music, photo editing, and live streaming. But that doesn't mean there isn't still room for new and innovative ideas. Take TikTok for example - it's become a massive success, keeping millions of users entertained.
So how can you transform a business idea into a profitable app like TikTok? In this article, we'll guide you through a step-by-step process on how to develop and grow the best TikTok alternatives.
Well if you don’t know what the heck is this TikTok thing, which once again is very confusing because who wouldn’t know about TikTok in this world? But let me brief you about it in the next point.
What Is TikTok? Is It a Heel Sound?
TikTok is obviously a heel sound but in this context, TikTok is a video-sharing application that allows users to broadcast live video streams, record short video clips, add filters or favorite music, and share the results on social networks.
The idea for TikTok came from Alex Zhu, who saw that teenagers were using different apps to listen to music, take selfies and record short videos, and share them with friends. He wanted to create an app that would combine all of these features into one.
Now that you know a little bit about TikTok let me tell you why is it so important for people nowadays in the world.
- Tiktok was an initial startup but now it is now a prominent company that makes a lot of money day n night.
- The downloads of TikTok are approximately 1 billion and there are 500 million active users of this video-sharing application per month.
- There is a report where it is been observed that there are users who averagely spend 52 minutes on TikTok on daily basis.
- The primary revenue of TikTok is higher than any other video-sharing application. It has reached a huge number of $3.5 million per year.
- Not to mention that there are teenagers who are a little bit addicted to this application, 41% of users of TikTok are aged 16-24.
- The global revenue of TikTok reached $39 billion. Remember the numbers are from 2019. They are uprising year by year. Maybe day-by-day.
These 6 Facts are enough to compel you to build an application like TikTok. So let’s see what are those features that we may include while we are building a video sharing application like TikTok.
Features That Make TikTok a Standalone Type
Video Editing Tools
TikTok users can edit their videos with an array of video effects, similar to those found on Snapchat. These effects include the ability to change the color of eyes, lip-sync videos, and add stickers, animations, and slow-motion effects.
Live Streaming
Well, there are a lot of applications that allow you to do live streaming. But are there any popular applications that can give the option of live streaming with filters? Yes, TikTok. On TikTok, you may live stream as well. You might be able to get the gifts your fans got for you from the TikTok coins. It's amazing, isn’t it?
Social Sharing
Which is a usual feature. Like other applications TikTok lets you share your video with your friends and families on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.
Sounds
With TikTok, you can create short videos with your favorite songs as the background music. You can also use a lip-syncing feature to make your videos even more fun and creative.
A Step-by-step Guide to Develop an App Like TikTok
Research the Targeted Market
Before you can even think about bringing your idea for a social media app with music videos to market, you need to do your homework. Research is critical in order to gain a clear understanding of the market landscape - who the leading players are, how customers interact with brands, and what trends you need to be aware of. Once you have that information, you can validate your initial assumptions and adjust your project accordingly to ensure that it aligns with business objectives.
But perhaps the most critical element of all is getting to know your target audience inside and out. Without that key ingredient, your chances of success are slim.
There are two most important things that you should consider in building applications like TikTok. The first one is trends and the second one is demographic profiles.
Choosing Monetization Model
To monetize your model you will have to know who will be your potential user and how will you select your own future business model. What would be the great enhancements in the world of TikTok use, well they are the field that you will have to decide on your own.
Let me introduce the most important factors which affect the choice of monetization
- In-app Purchase
- Advertising
- Fundraising
Hire Development Team
The development team is required in every application development. To develop an application like TikTok there are certain things that you should take care of and there are some responsibilities of the development team.
Here we have mentioned some responsibilities, which are major in the process.
- Define the project scope, main features of the future software, and business priorities
- Create an app development workflow, taking into account the monetization strategy
- Identify main app features and user roles
- Design a future app concept
Growing Your Application
There are certain marketplace and marketing strategies that might help you in marketing your application properly. Let’s get to know them.
- Relevant keyword in the title
- A mixture of Eye-catching screenshots
- A greatly recognizable icon or badge
- An engaging description
Conclusion
TikTok is a top-rated social video app among teenagers. You can use some of TikTok's mechanics for your video creation mobile software and make it profitable. For that, you can adopt business models, as described above.
But, to build a social media app, you need to go through the discovery phase. This phase requires defining the project goals, functional and non-functional requirements, and a project roadmap. As we have said, to create complex projects, such as TikTok alternatives, we recommend developing an MVP with a set of basic features and simple design.
