I have had this discussion with a number of folks that completely disagree with me. 

I am AGAINST having the social media buttons prominent for most small business sites and here is why. Their main goal is to convert customers through great content. When I land on a page and then check them out on FB and Twitter the way they want it opens up a world of distractions.

For example: I land on a site where I might buy something or fill out a lead form, instead I check out their FB page because they obviously want me to if it is so prominently displayed. When I click through I have 17 notifications and 4 messages from friends and family. This is where social can kill an interested customer.

Thoughts? Am I crazy? For media companies like ours it makes sense to convert them into a fan or follower but for the average small business owner, they need sales.

Lastly, I also think consumers are more okay with a less dynamically updated site than a Facebook Page that has 2 updates and 3 unanswered questions on it. In that scenario I not only suggest putting the chicklets in the footer but actually deleting the page all together. Further reading on that here. 

Caroline I am never suggesting that a delay is good? Let me clarify. What I mean is if you went to a site that the last entry of an article was 30 days ago it would be more acceptable than a Facebook Page or Twitter account where the last update was 30 days ago??

@Kristi Hines thanks for the input. I feel like there is this blanket rule for some reasons that all social links have to be above the fold or prominent. 

Thanks for the comment Mike it means a lot that you are engaging here. I am also excited about the way Subscribe and Adding to Circles behave. I can see some very clever uses of the subscribe button leading to 1,000′s of new connections on Facebook if done right.I am doing some testing right now and will report back. My goal is 3,000 page views and 1,000 subscribers with one article.

@mike-stelzner I’m missing my “LIKE” button on comments .  Man am I so Facebookified.

Wanted to LIKE your comment because my husband saw your site and the Wibiya bar and asked me how to get it on his website.  I’ve never seen him drool over a website before.

@chrissmith

Chris,

It ultimately comes down your business’ goals and strategy. I believe that social media buttons are an absolute must on websites these days because @kristi-hines said, it implies that you are active online. 

Button placement should go according to your business goals. If your main goal is converting traffic into leads then your opt in form should be the focus and placed in a prominent area. This doesn’t mean you can’t use social buttons but they shouldn’t dominate your header, side bar, footer, etc.

All businesses are should be social. 

@chrissmith

No offense taken lol

I was actually referring to design (rather vaguely, my fault) in my last comment. 

What I was trying to communicate was that; 

- social buttons are necessary, but don’t necessarily need to be in prominent areas (ie: above the fold) to be effective.

- your site’s design should take into consideration your goal, whether it be conversions or content. People should know what to do next.

Social buttons is the header is neither good or bad, it a matter of goals/preference. I personally wouldn’t do it because I want you to subscribe to my email list. As you said, these buttons take you away from the site which distracts people from taking the desired action.

Chris, have to agree with you. Way too many distractions on most sites. If I take the time to stop and read, that’s pretty much what I want to do and am much more likely to follow through if any buttons are at the end of it all. Thanks for starting the great discussion.