How to Diversify Your Social Media Strategy for Events

If a campaign underperforms, making changes in real time ensures efficiency and effectiveness.

If there’s one word that sums up the best approach to handling social-media uncertainty — especially organic social — it’s diversification. Just as with an investment portfolio, diversification is critical to mitigating risk and maximizing opportunity. But it’s not only about using multiple platforms, it’s about how they are used.

Different platforms serve different purposes and audiences: TikTok is used for discovery, Instagram for engagement, YouTube for education, and X for real-time updates. A strong strategy aligns platform purpose with content type to maximize impact.

Speaking of content: Social platforms can come and go, but your content is yours. Maintaining an archive of high-performing content in case a platform changes its algorithm — or disappears entirely — allows for repurposing assets and keeping an event brand visible.

And no matter the platform, an event’s brand voice should be recognizable across channels. A testimonial video on Instagram can become a YouTube Short, a LinkedIn post, or even a TikTok trend. Keeping messages cohesive strengthens brand recognition.

Breaking It Down by Platform

• Despite ongoing regulatory scrutiny, TikTok remains a discovery powerhouse. While it continues to facilitate organic reach and community engagement, maintaining a backup plan in case access becomes limited is wise.
• Instagram reels are now up to three minutes long, making them ideal for in-depth event storytelling. Audio and original content are favored by the algorithm, which reinforces the need for authenticity and high-quality visuals in content strategy.
• With Meta (Facebook and Instagram) moving away from professional fact-checking, events and associations can fill the trust gap by positioning themselves as reliable sources of industry information. Content that is factual and engagement-driven will stand out.
• The king of long-form video, YouTube is perfect for repurposing event content like keynote replays, behind-the-scenes footage, and expert interviews. Shorts also offer a great way to extend content lifespan and drive traffic.
• Experiencing declining user engagement and growing uncertainty, X may no longer be worth significant investment. Platforms with higher ROI may be a better option unless X  is a primary engagement tool for your audience.
• An X alternative, Threads is an extension of Instagram that’s a promising space for text-based engagement, but only if your audience is active there.
• Bluesky has attracted a lot of attention recently as an alternative to X. It allows users to share posts, images, and recently video, making it a potentially useful platform for video content.

Watch a one-minute video on how Bluesky is challenging X: (Story continues below.)

To truly stay ahead in a changing the social-media environment, monitor trends daily. Make sure your social and paid media teams communicate and collaborate. Work with teams that understand data, create compelling content, and react quickly to platform changes — all while keeping your long-term strategy in mind.

A Word From Paid Media

On the paid side, diversification is a bit more complex. While having ads on multiple platforms sounds great in theory, budgets often dictate a more focused approach. The key here is agility — being able to shift resources quickly when platforms change their policies, algorithms, or audience behaviors.

Campaign budgeting. Spreading a limited budget across too many platforms can dilute results — as can a lack of budget agility. By focusing on the platforms where an audience is most engaged and reallocating campaign funds based on real-time performance results, the ROI of a social campaign will likely be higher.

Paid and organic alignment. While paid content is often more sales-driven than organic content, maintaining consistency in tone and messaging strengthens brand trust and recognition. It also ensures a cohesive brand presence.

Real-time optimization. Unlike traditional media, digital advertising allows for immediate adjustments. If a campaign underperforms, making changes in real time ensures efficiency and effectiveness.

Sara Fellows is the senior director of social media and influencer strategy and Keith Campbell is the paid media manager at mdg, a Freeman Company, a full-service marketing and public relations firm specializing in B2B events.