Business Letter

Business letter refers to a form of communication used when writing to corporations or any institution that has a formal structure. The letter is commonly made for inquiries or correspondence between companies and external parties, clients or customers. Below are the guidelines that can be used if you want to make an interesting, formal and impressive business letter.

How to Write a Business Letter

For your convenience, you can use some computer applications or programs that can be helpful when writing a formal letter. One of the programs that can be used is Microsoft Word. This application has versions that provide formats for writing business letters. If the word processor that you are using does not have formats, then you can follow the style and format that are discussed in this article.

Paste or copy your preprinted letterhead on the top center portion of the paper. If you do not have a special letterhead, you need to indicate your full name, job position or title and return address three to six lines from the top. Use a block style when writing a formal letter. Indicate the date three lines from the return address. Make sure that you align the information that you have written. You can justify or left align the data.

Indicate the full name of the recipient, two lines after the date. Below the name, type the business title or job position of the recipient. Press enter and indicate the recipient’s business address. Write an opening salutation two lines after the business address.

Start the letter with a formal greeting, three lines after the salutation. Double space and start the first paragraph of the body. You should introduce yourself in the first paragraph if you are not yet acquainted with the recipient. It is also necessary to include a reference for your letter. For example, you can write that the letter is in reference to a former telephone conversation between you and the recipient about a certain topic that you want to further discuss in the letter.

Double space and begin with the second paragraph. The second paragraph should include the reason for writing the letter. The reason can be to compliment the company for the product that you purchased or to file a complaint about the products or services offered by the firm. Make sure that this paragraph is concise and brief.

Double space and write a closing salutation like ‘Respectfully,” and “Thank You.” Sign two lines after the salutation. Write your full name below the signature.

A business letter is not an ordinary communication.

A business letter is one in which some information is passed that should be important enough to put into writing, and more, should evoke some kind of a response.

Write your business letter right and you will succeed.

The Business Letter Form

Remember the business letter is NOT a report. It is a letter.

In today’ world you will be lucky to hold attention to three paragraphs, let alone a whole page.

Decide what it is you wish to say, and be prepared to say it in three short paragraphs.

If you have a long letter to write, do not write it as a letter, but as a report.

A letter is a letter. Be brief, succinct, avoid value judgments, make every word count, write nothing banal, and most of all, keep in mind what kind of a response you wish to invoke.

The Business Letter Format

The Subject.

Always begin your business letter with a subject reference. Do not mix subjects, or include more than one.

The Introduction.

Here in one paragraph you introduce your subject, as well as any crucial information about it.

Imply in the introduction what response you wish to evoke.

The Body.

The body of the business letter is the longest paragraph.

In this paragraph get down to details, but keep them brief and to the point.

Do not give value judgments and do not introduce new material.

The Summary Conclusion.

Here you sell your point and summarize all the points you have made before.

The Salutation.

Develop you own signature salutation.

You can you standard ones like Best Regards or Kind Regards, or find something new that suits you.

Let this be your signature salutation, and stick to it in all your business letters and communications.

The Business Letter vs. Email Letter.

In today’s world the formal business letter is fast becoming a rarity, and is taking the new form of the email letter. However, remember its only a different form or delivery. Follow the same rules as above.

Some business like to write the business letter now on company stationary in electronic form and include them as attachments to an email. This is not a bad idea, and still retains some form privacy.

Business Letter Language Guide

Here are a few tips from communication experts that may help you frame your use of language in your business letter or email.

Speak in the present tense. Avoid a lot of “I will; it should be, and …”
Use simple words. Do not show off your superior vocabulary.

There are very effective words that are commonplace. There are power words, and all of them are simple and impossible to misinterpret

Be direct.

Go to your point, and do not speak in ambiguous terms

Avoid homilies

Remember who it is you are talking to.

If you are speaking to a superior, maintain your distance of respect, while still selling your points across.

Avoid value judgments. Leave these for the letter recipient to decide for themselves.

Business letters are indispensable for professional communication. They are required to update known and unknown recipients on certain information, invite responses, advertise, and keep track of communications within and outside an organization. Writing business letters is not an easy task, though. The intent, audience and language have to be considered so that the message is communicated in the way desired. Aesthetics and formatting also play a role in creating an impression on readers. To ease this process, business letter forms can be used.

Business letter forms are great, especially for those who need a more professional look, are not satisfied with existing ones, want to create a brand image and identity or want to save time on formats. Many companies specialize in creating standard and customized business letter forms for all possible purposes like writing a resignation, offering employment, informing of new schemes, announcing the launch of products and so on. These templates can be easily modified on the computer. They are especially useful when a letter has to be drafted quickly.

They may vary in the style and attitude, which can be formal, informal, indifferent, or personal. However, the basic format remains the same, with basic courtesies that are nice to follow. The trends of business letters have also changed over the years. The format acceptable these days has everything aligned to the left. Business letter forms also follow guidelines which conform to spacing, alignment, margins, address format, salutation, and the body of the text.

Forms are easily available online for free download on many websites. They are supported by Microsoft Office or Acrobat Reader and can easily be modified by changing and adding logos and text. Some forms are available by subscription or in paid all-in-one packages, and in some cases can be customized by vendors. Users need to check the quality of forms against their needs.

With the easy availability of business letter forms, there is no need to spend time on drafting out letters from scratch. Templates can either be created or taken from other sources so you can focus on more important things than writing letters.

Business letter refers to a form of communication used when writing to corporations or any institution that has a formal structure. The letter is commonly made for inquiries or correspondence between companies and external parties, clients or customers. Below are the guidelines that can be used if you want to make an interesting, formal and impressive business letter.

How to Write a Business Letter

For your convenience, you can use some computer applications or programs that can be helpful when writing a formal letter. One of the programs that can be used is Microsoft Word. This application has versions that provide formats for writing business letters. If the word processor that you are using does not have formats, then you can follow the style and format that are discussed in this article.

Paste or copy your preprinted letterhead on the top center portion of the paper. If you do not have a special letterhead, you need to indicate your full name, job position or title and return address three to six lines from the top. Use a block style when writing a formal letter. Indicate the date three lines from the return address. Make sure that you align the information that you have written. You can justify or left align the data.

Indicate the full name of the recipient, two lines after the date. Below the name, type the business title or job position of the recipient. Press enter and indicate the recipient’s business address. Write an opening salutation two lines after the business address.

Start the letter with a formal greeting, three lines after the salutation. Double space and start the first paragraph of the body. You should introduce yourself in the first paragraph if you are not yet acquainted with the recipient. It is also necessary to include a reference for your letter. For example, you can write that the letter is in reference to a former telephone conversation between you and the recipient about a certain topic that you want to further discuss in the letter.

Double space and begin with the second paragraph. The second paragraph should include the reason for writing the letter. The reason can be to compliment the company for the product that you purchased or to file a complaint about the products or services offered by the firm. Make sure that this paragraph is concise and brief.

Double space and write a closing salutation like ‘Respectfully,” and “Thank You.” Sign two lines after the salutation. Write your full name below the signature.