Making your online lawyer videos downloadable can be a real hassle, both in terms of the time required to actually make them downloadable, and in terms of figuring out the best way of doing so. However, many websites offer downloadable content, and it might seem like the sort of thing you ought to do. And while there are some genuine plusses from doing so, most lawyers considering this question ask themselves, “Is it really worth it?” Here is a list of pros and cons to help you decide.

Pros

1. Allowing visitors to download your lawyer video lets interested parties to watch the video at their leisure, instead of while they’re browsing. If a viewer in a hurry sees the topic for your video and thinks it sounds interesting, but doesn’t want to take the time to watch it right then, he or she can simply download it and watch it later. By not offering that instant option, you might wind up losing that viewer entirely, if he or she forgets where the video was hosted, or forgets about the video completely.

2. It demonstrates your technological acumen. Even if only a handful of visitors take advantage of the feature, it will demonstrate to them that you and your firm are up to date on technology. That might not help you win any clients outright, but it’s definitely something that prospective clients will put in their pockets and consider favorably.

3. It’s free. Yes, it can be a hassle to make lawyer videos downloadable, but it doesn’t actually cost you or your firm anything, so why wouldn’t you make it downloadable? All it takes is a little bit of time.

Cons

1. Few people—if any—will want to download your content. Most viewers will want to get a sense as to who might be representing them, and their next steps are likely to be to contact you—not download your lawyer video so that they can watch the same thing over and over again. And while yes, people in a hurry might like having the option, the chances of a web surfer being so busy that he or she can’t watch a 2 to 5 minute video is slim.

2. It’s a hassle. Making content on your website downloadable requires several steps –and it’s not as though you only have to do it once. You’ll have to walk through those steps every single time you upload a new video to your website. No, it doesn’t cost you any money, but it does cost you time—time that you probably can’t spare.

3. You’re not impressing anyone. Few people will even notice that your lawyer videos are available for download. Why? Because no one will be looking to download it (see Con #1). It’s not an easy thing to notice, after all; most people will simply be clicking on the video so that they can watch it in its entirety. Only the curious or impatient will find out enough about your video to discover that it’s downloadable.