Media Roundtable Offers PR Tips To Business Owners

Nearly three dozen local business owners had a — and discuss the ways to promote their companies with the owners and publishers of local media outlets — at a event held at on Mar. 1.

Chamber President Deb Ramos, who organized the "Business Boosters" event with Carol Costa, administrative assistant for the Johnston Housing Authority and founder of C2 Communicatons, explained during a follow-up interview that the session provided attendees with a great chance to consider an often underestimated aspect of managing their businesses.

"One of the things that I think was phenomenal was there was a great energy within the room and in the conversation that was taking place," Ramos said. "The expertise and the information from all the media folks was phenomenal."

After presentations by Costa; Ann-Mary Currier of theCurrier, Words & Events; and Maureen Maloney of Ovoo Creative, owners and publishers of local newspapers like the Johnston Sun Rise and the spoke about how business owners can best promote their companies with those media outlets

[Editor's Note: I also made a presentation on how local businesses can use JohnstonPatch, including .]

"It was interesting to hear the different perpectives on the different types of media," Ramos explained. "It shows that there are pros and cons to each type of media."

The event also featured a lively discussion among the business owners and media representatives, which Ramos said left attendees thinking creatively about promoting their businesses.

"I think most people couldn't sleep because the wheels were turning in their heads — I would highly doubt that most of those people got a good night's sleep that night," Ramos explained. "Some things that these bus owners just take for granted, they don't realize that they could make so much more out of that. I think [the forum] reinforced that there is an opportunity for them to share some of those day-to-day things that they do through the help of the media, and that it could feasibly come back to them ten-fold."

Ramos said she's begun planning the next roundtable, to be held later in the spring.