There is no doubt that the public relations industry is evolving at a rapid pace.  Remember when people would fax the media press releases one by one? Those days are gone and have been replaced by social media press releases, Twitter pitches and company blogs for news distribution.  And while email has become the distribution tool du jour for public relation firms across the world, there is still a time

and place for that traditional, old-school public relations delivery method: Snail mail.

Here at Bailey Gardiner, a San Diego public relations firm, we recently integrated traditional mail (yes the kind from the Post Office!) into our media outreach for our client, Electra Bicycle Company.  Electra’s bikes are well known for their strikingly visual bicycles and their colorful, playful catalogs embody the company’s eclectic style.

While I love and prefer email for being faster, easier and more eco-friendly, in certain instances sending an actual hard copy of materials helps make more of a statement.  When we planned to announce Electra’s 2010 bicycle lines, it made sense to incorporate their beautiful catalogs into our media outreach.

We sent each person on our target media list a catalog, a personalized letter and a pretty Electra bicycle bell. The response was immediate and positive, and I feel much stronger than had we just emailed everyone the information.  The Electra catalog is a strong, eye-catching marketing piece, and it is much harder to ignore or delete than an email.

Traditional mail is definitely not the preferred delivery method for all things public relations, but if a company has a strong marketing piece that makes a bold statement, like Electra, consider sending it the old-fashioned way.  It can do wonders to get an editor’s attention.  What else do you still send to media via traditional mail?