With the explosion of social media in the online world, your job as a small-business marketer just got a lot bigger. In addition to everything else on your plate, you also get to worry about your store's blog, your Facebook presence and promoting yourself on YouTube.

Unfortunately, the little digital camera you bought back when you opened your business isn't up to snuff anymore. It took great snapshots for your bulletin board, but your needs changed since then. You need a new camera.

Luckily, digital camera prices come down every year, while the number of features keep going up. But making the decision is confusing. Most cameras look almost identical in terms of features, size and price. How do you know which to buy?

Since this is a business purchase, approach it like any other business decision. First, identify your needs and goals. What will you use the camera for? What do you want to accomplish? If you don't know what you hope to do, then the odds are good you'll either buy too much technology or too little. Either way, you'll purchase the wrong thing.

If you want to expand your business into the world of social media, you need a camera that shoots good video. Video gives you tremendous impact everywhere you use it, whether on your blog, your Facebook page or uploaded to YouTube. Even if you never imagined yourself doing anything with video, now is the time to start.

You want a camera with the ability to record high definition (or HD) video. That type of video looks best on new television sets and through high-speed Internet connections. For your purposes, if the camera can shoot either 720p or 1080p video (the two HD video formats), then it's more than good enough for your purposes. Although you could get away without the HD video capability today, you might as well buy it now, because you will need it in the future.

What about the simple art of taking pictures? Don't these newfangled cameras still do that? Absolutely! Almost every camera at every price point on the market will give you acceptable photographs. Unless you plan to enlarge your pictures so they fit on the side of a building, you'll find success with any camera out there. Video capabilities, on the other hand, vary wildly from camera to camera, so you need to know what you want to accomplish so you can match the technical specifications to your needs.

One word of caution: If you only want a camera to shoot product photos for eBay or your website, then don't get anything fancy. EBay photography doesn't demand the latest multi-megapixel, high-definition camera. You need something simple, with a tripod mount, that takes clear images. I shoot my own eBay photos with a 7-year-old, four-megapixel camera that I bought used. It served me well for the last two years, and it should do fine for several more.

To move up into the type of camera that will take your business through the next few years, expect to spend between $400 and $900. That gets you into the range of camera known in the industry as “prosumer”, a recently minted word combining “consumer” and “professional.” Cameras at this level give you very good performance, more features than you will ever use and solid construction to last over time.

On the lower end of that price range, you find the best point-and-shoot cameras. Some specific units to consider include the Canon PowerShot G11 (although it lacks HD video, the camera's other features make up the difference), Nikon Coolpix P100 and the newly announced Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5K. All fit into the $400-$500 price range, with roughly equivalent features. The cameras fit in your pocket but still deliver amazing performance.

At the other end of the price range, you get into digital single-lens reflex (or DSLR) cameras. These workhorses look similar to classic 35mm film cameras and weigh about the same. They give you better images and changeable lenses, but all that power and flexibility comes with a price, namely several hundred dollars of extra expense. Still, if you need the best for your business, DSLR cameras deliver.

In this type of camera, look at the Canon Rebel T2i and T1i, as well as the Nikon D90 and D5000. All shoot solid video in addition to gorgeous still photographs.

If money is tight and your budget can't support a big expenditure right now, start with what you have or look for a used camera in good condition. The most important thing is to start displaying your business expertise in the online world, not to merely own the coolest new technology. If what you already own will fit the bill, then put it to work.