How should we communicate an acquisition to our customers?

Be proactive, transparent, and customer-centric. The message should come jointly from both CEOs and focus on the benefits to the customer, such as a better product or more resources. Follow up immediately with a detailed FAQ that addresses their likely concerns about pricing, support, and the product roadmap.

What is the biggest mistake when merging two customer communities?

The biggest mistake is assuming you can just export users from one platform and import them into another. This ignores the culture, relationships, and norms of each community. It often leads to the acquired community's participants feeling like second-class citizens and disengaging completely.

How can I keep my best customer advocates after my company is acquired?

Engage them immediately. Give them exclusive access to the leadership of the acquiring company. Ask for their feedback and concerns directly. Reassure them of their value and outline a clear, compelling vision for the future of the advocacy programme. Make them feel like insiders, not assets being transferred.

Customer Marketing's Role in a Merger or Acquisition

Your company just announced a merger. A proactive playbook for customer marketers to manage customer comms and integration without waiting to be told.

Published: 2 June 2026
Topics: customer marketing, mergers and acquisitions, customer retention, customer community, advocacy programmes

Your role as a customer marketer during a merger or acquisition is to be the voice of the customer, managing communications and mitigating churn risk. You must proactively create clarity amid chaos, audit the incoming customer base, and strategically integrate customer programmes to ensure retention and build a unified brand experience from day one.

By Francisco Opazo · Reviewed by the Led by Community editorial team

The email lands from the CEO with a subject line like ‘Exciting News’. Your company has been acquired. Or it has acquired another. After the initial shock, your thoughts turn to the customers. They will be confused, anxious, and possibly angry. While the rest of the organisation is consumed by process and politics, your job starts now. You are the custodian of the customer relationship. Don’t wait for instructions.

The M&A Announcement: Your First 72 Hours

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Read the full piece on Led by Community (free account, 3 reads a day)