Membership and professional bodies

How do you sell a professional product to members who already know your brand?

RIBA's site signboards are an existing product, sold to chartered practices and chartered members who already know the institute and order by login or order form. The product had just been rebranded with RIBA's new logo, so the job was to build awareness of the change and drive visits to the landing page, not to find new buyers. Route ran a four-week test across LinkedIn, Meta and Google search, from 6 March to 9 April 2026.

+41.5%Month-on-month rise in signboard sales, February to March
Over 6,000People reached on LinkedIn, targeting chartered members and practices

The brief


RIBA's site signboards are an existing product, ordered directly by the institute's own chartered practices and chartered members, through login or an order form. The signboards had just been rebranded, carrying RIBA's new logo, and RIBA needed its members to notice the change. This was never a search for new buyers. The goal was awareness of the rebrand and visits to the product's landing page, with no offers or discounts permitted in the campaign.

What we planned


Because the audience already knew the product and the institute, we planned the activity as a short test of four weeks across LinkedIn, Meta and Google search, from 6 March to 9 April 2026. Seven ad variants, five image and two video, were built to test which format and channel carried the message furthest. Google search was built on the product's own terms, to catch members already looking for it by name.

How it ran


All seven ad variants ran on Meta; on LinkedIn, only two video ads ran. Google search targeted RIBA's own product terms directly rather than broader industry terms. Landing-page engagement was tracked throughout, giving a read on whether the traffic the campaign reached was the right people, not just more people.

What the reporting showed


Google search showed intent for the product was far stronger than a generic B2B benchmark would suggest. On Meta, video was the best-performing creative, and LinkedIn, carrying video alone, was the strongest channel for engagement. On the landing page, engaged sessions showed the visits were the right people, not just more visits. Alongside the test, RIBA's own figures showed signboard sales up 41.5% month on month, from February to March.

Campaign results


Campaign results, 6 March to 9 April 2026
MeasureResult
Signboard sales, February to MarchUp 41.5%
LinkedIn reach, targeting chartered members and practicesOver 6,000 people

Source: RIBA signage post-campaign analysis, 6 March to 9 April 2026; sales figures are RIBA's own.

On working with Route

We have a long-standing relationship with the Route team to manage the paid marketing of RIBA products and services because they consistently deliver excellent results for us, whether that be in terms of sales, membership renewal and sign-up, or course and event registration. We look forward to a continued relationship.

Steven PlimmerDirector of Marketing, RIBA

Related work


Want results like these for your organisation?

Call +44 (0) 191 933 7588, email info.route@route.agency, or send us your brief.