We finessed our approach towards social media during the year, dropping the use of X and concentrating on expanding our influence on LinkedIn. We also promoted our YouTube content to small businesses through social advertising for the first time, dramatically increasing the reach of our patent case study videos.
YouTube
@CIPAUK
We worked with media company Liquona to create three cleantech PR videos, which were launched on YouTube and the CIPA website on April 26:
- How patents are helping us move beyond plastic packaging
- Patenting waste to energy for a world beyond fossil fuels
- Reinventing the concrete industry with patents
We also partnered with Liquona to promote the videos and a campaign webpage featuring a downloadable starter Patent Pack for SMEs via a social media campaign (read more about our wider SME campaign on page 9).
The campaign had two aims – to drive views of the videos among our target audience and generate direct downloads of the SME patent pack.
In summary, the campaign generated:
- A hundred-fold increase in the typical number of views of CIPA case study videos on YouTube – 50k+ views across the three videos within the first three weeks of the campaign
- A further 37.5k views of the videos with a SME Patent Pack download Call To Action added
- Another 25k views of shortened clips from each film used as adverts on YouTube
- Around 2,000 downloads of the SME Patent Pack overall, with 260 of these by SMEs targeted on LinkedIn
Overall metrics for our YouTube channel for the year:
- Total views: 131,325
- Total watch time: 2.9k hours
- New subscribers to our channel: 68
Our most successful video during the year was Reinventing the Concrete Industry with Patents, which garnered an impressive 33,230 views, making it the most-watched video on our channel.
Instagram
@TheCIPA_
We continued to post eye-catching posts and stories, growing followers from 337 to 390. Our most viewed content was a reel we created for our CIPA Congress in Edinburgh. The Reel was viewed 356 times, with nearly half of these coming from non-followers.
LinkedIn
The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys
We refocussed our efforts on LinkedIn during 2024 and saw significant growth and engagement as a result. Alongside President Matt Dixon we promoted all UK activity at the Unified Patent Court, including many photographs of our UPC litigators resplendent in their formal court robes. We began posting summaries of CIPA Journal feature articles as thought leader pieces, with a click-through to the online Journal.
Below are the key performance metrics for the period:
- We gained 1,514 new followers, bringing the total count from 5,123 to 6,637
- Our profile page received 7,836 total page views and attracted 3,596 unique visitors
- The total number of impressions reached 472,082. Engagement metrics show 4,663 reactions, 221 comments, and 213 reposts, indicating strong interaction with our content.
X
Chief Executive Lee Davies said: “On Thursday 8 August, CIPA decided to not use X as the platform fails to reflect and defend the values of decency, diversity, equality and inclusion that we are committed to. We are always mindful that our core purpose is to champion and support innovation in the United Kingdom, and to foster a culture of creativity and growth. When we comment on public affairs, it is to support our members in their pursuit of excellence and to actively contribute to the development of the intellectual property landscape nationally and internationally.
CIPA and its members operate in a multicultural and interconnected world. The recent membership survey demonstrates how we have changed over time to reflect the communities we serve. We want all our people – our members, our volunteers and our staff – to grow and thrive through their relationship with CIPA and to do so in an environment that feels welcoming, safe and inclusive. The distressing scenes we see on the news each day will have an impact on each and every one of us and we stand firmly with all our people who feel directly targeted or affected by these actions. Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is resolute and we oppose racism, bigotry and hatred in all its forms.
Through our work on diversity and inclusion, we attract talented people into the IP professions and to work at CIPA. We will ensure that all our people feel engaged and are supported by our work as a professional membership association. We will treat people fairly and equitably. We will ensure equality of opportunity for all our people. Above all, we will create and maintain an environment where all our people, regardless of background or personal circumstance, feel valued. Everybody belongs here.”