When  you are a new business you want to get the word out about your company to everyone you can think of, and then to everyone you can't think of. It doesn't matter who hears about your company, you want the word out there and you want it out there yesterday.

So what's the fastest way to spread information? Well, of course, we turn to the internet.

Granted, the internet is arguably the fastest way to get information across to anyone and the potential to make money there is great.

But realistically, there is also a great potential to lose a lot of money that might of been better spent elsewhere.

Just like any other business marketing investment, you need to look at what makes the most sense for your business, focused on your customer base. If you are marketing a product or service to the 50 and over crowd, then even if you spend thousands on Facebook advertising (where a large percentage of visitors are in the 18-35 age bracket), you aren't really hitting your target audience and consequently, you probably aren't getting the sales you want.

When you are looking into social media–and even if you’ve already been bitten by the online marketing bug—make sure that you’ve researched not only your target customer base but also that you’ve researched the social media outlet. Make sure that your investment dollars really will turn around and make money for you. Otherwise, it just isn’t worth it. For small businesses your money is especially tight, but nobody wants to throw money away. So be wise in your investments, and don’t spend where it doesn’t make cents.

To find out what sites will work best for your business,  click here and get started.

This article was published as a guest submission on DaleCallahan.com

Cassidy Cash is a social marketing guru. Cassidy works with companies to create and manage their websites, blogs, and social media outlets, in order to maximize their overall web presence and produce a greater ROI. If you ask her, she'll say she gets paid to play on Facebook. Thanks to Cassidy Cash for this article.