How to Merge Social Media Accounts: The Full Guide

In the aftermath of a company acquisition, merging social media accounts becomes crucial, though it’s also often overlooked.

Understandably, CEOs have bigger fish to fry, but for marketers, this is where the rubber meets the road.

So, when a company acquires another company, what happens to the acquired company’s social media accounts?

Especially if they’re driving tons of engagement and are a key brand pillar?

The first thing to know about transferring social media accounts in a business sale is that there are three sides to this problem: Strategy, technique, and operations.

From a strategic angle, valuable social accounts are worth keeping. Letting them wither isn’t an option.

On the technical side, each social platform has its own set of rules for merging accounts, and these rules change over time. So, a bit of research is essential.

Finally, the operational aspect—if you don’t merge accounts efficiently, you risk losing followers and engagement.

That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive, up-to-date guide to help you navigate the complexities of merging social media accounts post-acquisition.

Now that the problem has been framed, let’s go through a full plan for social media consolidation.

Understanding the scope of the merger

The first step: Take stock of the social media assets you’re inheriting and evaluate their current state.

Identify inherited social media accounts

Start with a full inventory of all social media accounts acquired in the merger. This includes main accounts and any secondary or dormant accounts created for specific campaigns, regions, or product lines.

At a basic level, the inventory should detail the following for each account:

• Handle.
• Follower count.
• Content themes (main ones).
• Engagement metrics.

By understanding what you have, you can plan the next steps and avoid issues like redundant accounts or missed opportunities for consolidation.

Evaluate the state of each account

This evaluation can vary, but to play it safe it should include:

• Follower demographics (varies from platform to platform; LinkedIn, for instance, provides location, seniority, job function, industry, and company size data).
• Engagement and content performance rates.
• A note or score on overall brand alignment.

The goal is to determine which accounts are active and thriving, which underperform, and which will be unnecessary post-merger.

Understand the reasons for merging social media accounts

Figure out why you’re merging these accounts in the first place.

Is it to maintain brand continuity, retain your audience, or simplify management? Maybe it’s all three.

For some companies, the goal is to leverage the combined follower base for greater reach and engagement. For others, it’s about reducing complexity. And sometimes, the best move is to leave things as they are—especially if the acquired brand remains a separate business unit.

In any case, clearly stating your reasons ensures the merged social media presence aligns with your strategic vision.

Platform-specific guidelines for merging social media accounts

Let’s dive into the specific guidelines for merging accounts on each major platform, including Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, X, and Facebook.

This platform-by-platform approach will help you with two vital aspects:

• Whether it is possible to merge accounts on each of these platforms.
• If possbile, how to do it, along with official resources and documentation.

How to merge Instagram accounts

As of September 2024, it’s not possible to merge Instagram accounts.

After a brand acquires another, it’s not possible to merge their Instagram accounts into one, not according to official documentation from the Instagram Help Center.

In this situation, we recommend motivating followers of the acquired brand to follow the new account by:

• Posting regularly on the old account and telling them to follow the new Instagram page.
• Updating the old account’s bio with a note about the new account.

If the acquiring company wishes to keep the acquirees’ Instagram account, we recommend following a simple protocol to secure access to the account in question.

• Get the account’s login details (username and password).
• Change the email address to the new owner’s email.
• Confirm the email change.
• Log in, change the password to a new one, update the phone number associated with the account, and activate two-factor authentication.

Finally, there’s another situation to consider – when a person from the acquired brand’s social media team is retained and needs access to one or more Instagram accounts.

Here, all you have to do is add them to your Business Manager and assign them the corresponding business asset that will be under their management.

How to merge LinkedIn pages

According to official information coming from LinkedIn, it’s possible to merge two LinkedIn company pages as long as these correspond to “regional, unacquired subsidiaries, divisional, and/or duplicates”.

On top of this, you have to be a super admin of the pages you’d want to merge.

It’s important to consider that while company pages can be merged, followers can’t be migrated when a LinkedIn page changes due to an acquisition or merger.

If your case doesn’t fit the bill, we’d recommend contacting LinkedIn and presenting your case.

Even if you don’t get followers from the acquired brand’s page, merging two LinkedIn pages into one in the aftermath of an acquisition is something you’d want to explore.

How to merge YouTube channels

According to YouTube help docs, it’s not possible to merge different YouTube channels or accounts (nor to transfer data between them).

However, there’s a workaround that will come in handy: Manually re-uploading videos from one channel to another.

Since watch time and other metrics will start over for any new uploads, make sure to export the data of the channel you’ll deactivate so you don’t lose it (and also, to have a performance reference point).

How to merge TikTok accounts

As of September 2024, it’s not possible to merge TikTok accounts.

For a company who just acquired another company, this translates into three different scenarios:

• Keeping the acquired company’s TikTok account alive and active.
• Downloading and transferring the data from the TikTok account, and then deleting said account.

How to merge X (Twitter) accounts

The official documentation is loud and clear regarding the question of combining X accounts:

We currently do not offer a way to merge multiple accounts into one or migrate data (posts, following, or followers) from one account to another.

On the bright side, you can still manage multiple X accounts after you’ve gained control over them, and there’s always the possibility to reach out to X support and introduce your case (although we wouldn’t spend much time on this).

How to merge Facebook Pages

While not in high demand nowadays, merging Facebook Pages is possible.

Moreover, Meta provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to do it.

Long story short: As long as both pages are under the same Business Manager, and the option to merge them is available in the Page Settings, you can do it in no time.

Some companies will want to merge Facebook Groups as well, but that’s not possible as of September 2024.

Now that we covered platform-specific possibilities for merging social media accounts, we can move on to the final stages of the process: Planning and logistics.

Strategic planning aspects of merging social media accounts

At this point, you’ve identified the social media accounts, laid out the reasons to merge them, and learned about the technical requirements required to merge accounts.

Now, it’s time to focus on the strategy and goals. The actual merger is about to begin!

Plan the communication strategy for announcing the merger

Announcing the merger to followers is a delicate task that requires careful planning. You’ll have to decide on the platforms and formats for these announcements—whether through posts, videos, or newsletters.

It’s important to remember that this type of communication comes after an acquisition announcement (for example).

Here, you’ll be planning a message to share with the followers of a brand in the wake of that brand’s acquisition. And that message will be centered around what will happen to that brand’s social channels.

Our advice is to keep it simple: Craft messaging that explains the changes and benefits while providing clear instructions on what to expect.

Note: Do not publish this message yet! There are other steps to execute before announcing the social media merger.

List and detail the technical execution steps

Writing down the execution steps is important for documentation and reporting purposes.

Familiarize yourself with the specific steps required for each platform and write them down to avoid misinterpretations or mistakes.

On top of this, we recommend backing up content and checking before executing.

Finally, ensure that all accounts are securely managed by updating passwords and managing admin rights.

Create a timeline for the account merging process

A timeline is essential to keep the merging process on track.

Break down the merger into phases, from initial announcements to the final consolidation of accounts.

Assign specific dates to each task and ensure all teams are aligned with the timeline.

A clear timeline ensures that the merger is executed efficiently, with minimal disruption to your social media presence.

Operational logistics: Making it happen

At this point, you’re ready to start merging the accounts.

You can start by assigning roles and responsibilities to the team members who will handle:

• Technical tasks (i.e. merging accounts).
• Communication (internal and external).
• Content creation (internal and external).
• Monitoring and reporting.

Throughout the merger, coordination and monitoring are relevant. Keep stakeholders informed, track progress, share updates, and resolve issues as they turn up.

Conclusion: Summarizing the steps

Here’s a quick rundown of the essential steps to ensure a smooth transition:

1. Inventory: Identifying and listing all the social media accounts you’re inheriting.

2. Evaluate account performance: Assess the relevance of each account.

3. Define the strategy: Reasons for merging accounts and goals to achieve.

4. Check merging guidelines: Understand which accounts can be merged, and what it takes to merge them.

5. Announcement: Decide how you’ll announce the merger to followers and craft the messaging.

6. Document technical steps: Write down the specific actions required for each platform, ensuring no details are overlooked.

7. Timeline: Establish a timeline for the merging process, stating dates and tasks to fulfill.

8. Roles and responsibilities: Designate team members to handle the technical, communication, and content aspects of the merger.

9. Execution: Merge the accounts, manage the transition, and keep all stakeholders informed.

10. Monitor and adjust: Track progress, address any issues, and adjust your plan as needed.

Save this article to navigate a social media consolidation from start to finish!