You just bought a business. Congratulations. Now the hard part begins.
If you’re not actively leading the marketing in the first 90 days post-acquisition, you’re risking the very things you just paid for: brand equity, customer trust, and momentum.
I broke this down in detail during a recent workshop. You can watch the full training here: Watch on YouTube.
Here’s the breakdown.
Marketing is What Customers Notice First
Legal is done. Ops has their checklist. Finance is syncing systems.
But to your customers, none of that matters.
What they see are the emails that don’t make sense anymore, a website that contradicts what your team is saying, or worse, complete silence.
That silence leads to confusion, churn, and a loss of trust. It is the fastest way to kill momentum right after a deal closes.
What Did You Actually Acquire?
You bought more than a company. You bought its marketing machine—or what’s left of it.
Before building anything new, you need to audit what you inherited. That means asking:
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Is the messaging consistent?
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Does anyone truly own marketing?
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Are systems integrated, or are you running three CRMs?
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Have your customers been told what’s happening?
If the answers aren’t clear, that’s not a sign of failure. It’s a signal for where your focus needs to go.
Merge, Rebrand, or Keep it Separate?
This is one of the most common questions post-acquisition. And there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
The right decision depends on customer loyalty, market overlap, operational capacity, and brand equity. Some businesses benefit from a clean merge. Others need to run a house-of-brands strategy.
What matters is that you make a strategic decision. Not an emotional or rushed one.
A Proven 90-Day Marketing Timeline
Here’s the timeline I walk clients through in every post-acquisition engagement.
Day 1
Gain clarity. Decide on brand strategy. Assign marketing ownership. Communicate with your team. Identify the biggest marketing gaps.
Day 30
Align the foundation. Clean up the website. Sync your CRM systems. Define the brand voice. Get your internal team aligned before going public.
Day 60
Go visible. Launch your first campaign. Introduce the new team. Share the brand story. Be consistent and concise.
Day 90
Hand off to a team that’s aligned and systems that work. Marketing should now be moving forward with confidence and clarity.
Key Questions to Guide Your Focus
Use these five questions to avoid wasting time on the wrong things. And if you’re stuck, here’s the direction we give clients in every 90-day post-acquisition plan:
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What is the one issue that must be fixed first?
Start with what’s customer-facing and broken. If messaging is unclear or the CRM is a mess, fix that first. Visibility and trust depend on it. -
Which customer touchpoint feels most fragile?
Usually it’s the handoff: website, emails, or customer service. Anything that feels confusing to a customer needs clarity now. -
What part of your messaging needs a major update?
Look at your homepage, sales scripts, and onboarding emails. If they still sound like the old company or don’t reflect the acquisition, update them fast. -
Who owns the marketing integration?
If the answer is “no one,” it’s you. Assign a single point of accountability—even if it’s temporary. -
What does a successful 90 days look like, internally and externally?
Internally, you want aligned tools and people. Externally, clear communication and consistent visibility. No confusion, no surprises.
This is how you turn chaos into control—and make sure the deal you just signed doesn’t stall before it starts.
You Can’t Afford to Stay Silent
The biggest risk post-acquisition is not doing the wrong thing. It’s doing nothing at all.
If you are not communicating, customers will write their own version of the story. And it probably won’t be accurate.
Lead the conversation. Set the tone. Build the plan before things break.
You can watch the full training here to get the complete checklist and breakdown: Watch the webinar on YouTube.
And if you need help mapping your first 90 days, reach out. This is exactly what we do.
