A merger or company takeover involves many challenges. Especially when it comes to marketing and PR, careful consideration should be given to the announcement. It is important to prevent confusion, errors and loss of customers. In this article, we provide tips on announcing a merger or company takeover related to marketing and PR.
click here to read how we helped MyWheels with their company takeover.
Does an announcement of a merger or company takeover only mean writing a press release and a few social media posts? Actually, no. It requires prior skill and planning for the merger or takeover to be effective. A PR professional should consider everything. We have listed the most important tips for announcing a merger or company takeover for you.
Most organizations spend a lot of time identifying different target groups. The message will then be adjusted accordingly. In the event of a merger or company takeover, it is important to consider all target groups. Different parties have different interests in the organization. For each target group, it is important to tailor a personalized message. It is important that communication about the change is positive and detailed enough.
The website is the main platform for announcing the merger or takeover. The announcement should be available here for each new visitor. These changes usually go live on the day of the press release announcing the acquisition.
Consider how the website (s) will help inform the public about the merger or takeover. So there will also need to be a timeline (usually 3-12 months) for the takeover or merger. Consider when the acquired company's site will encourage visitors to visit the other website. A date will also have to be set by which the acquired company will have a redirect to the new website.
On the day of publication, the website must be up to date content. Examples include product information, information about the merged company, studies, case studies and new contact details. There is probably an awful lot of content that will need to be adapted to multiple channels. Make sure all of this is ready by the day of the announcement.
The content on the platforms of both organizations will have to be looked at. Think of updating the branding, logo's, descriptions, links and corporate identity. The hashtags on social media will also have to be changed. It is important to announce a warning about merging the accounts some time in advance.
Of course, all activities related to the announcement of the merger or company takeover will have a lot to do with PR. There will be a press release must be written with a clear message. It will have to end up with the right journalists and the right platforms. If you have no media contacts, it is advisable to hire a professional for this.
Make sure to check the press coverage of the big news. Issue a press release to all relevant media answering the standard questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how. Please note, the message must newsworthy are.
In addition to a press release, create a fact sheet for news media. Journalists are often in a hurry, so make their work as easy as possible. Revisiting a fact sheet is less work than going through an entire press release.
The fact sheet should include important details about the transaction, along with important information about both organizations. We also recommend creating questions with corresponding answers that the internal team can use, segmented by target group. This document appears to be useful for several things. For example, to create talking points for employee presentations and answering questions on social media.
Organizations that are going to merge or take over a company should talk to marketing and PR professionals as early as possible. Careful planning and strategic reach will help achieve greater success.
