3 Crucial Rules for Communicating a Merger

Mergers can be exciting. But they can also be scary and confusing. That’s why your strategy for communicating about them, both to your own team and to your customers, is crucial. Here are our top three tips for handling the transition from a marketing and public relations standpoint.

1. Consistent Language. A confident, considerate and consistent brand voice is important for influencing the way your team and customers feel about the merger. They’ll need reassurance that the things they love most about you will stay the same.

• Merge your messaging. You’re merging two different brands that may have two different sets of voices, visions and values, so work with your PR team to create key messaging that incorporates elements of both. Work with your creative marketing team to evolve your brand voice. Remember: A single unifying tagline can be become a powerful rallying cry.
• Substantive content, like how your people should prepare for the transition, needs to be concise and consistent throughout all pieces. It will help to have both short and long versions so that, for instance, you can give a quick overview of the most important info on a postcard, then send readers to a landing page for more details.
• If possible, incorporate familiar images and language from the existing brands to ease your audience into the coming changes.