How to write a business letter

Writing a business letter properly will represent the best part of any company. When a business letter is written professionally and succulently, it gives the impression of a business that gets the job done. If a business letter is written with spelling errors and without a streamlined thought process, a business then looks as if it is unprofessional and perhaps inexperienced.

There are many types of business letters written for a plethora of purposes. Some are letters designed to promote the business itself, others to thank clients for their business, and some are for stockholders bringing them up to speed on the status of the business. There are so many types of business letters that it is not possible to list every scenario. Despite the many reasons a business needs to write a business letter, there are some simple basics for all business letters, which if followed, will produce the ideal business letter.

What All Business Letters Should Contain

Although different types of business letters will say remarkably different things, some basics should be used in every kind of business letter that marks it specifically as a business related communication.

1. Should be written on business letterhead
2. Always include the date
3. Senders name, address, and email address
4. Recipients company name, formal title, name, address
5. Salutation
6. Body of letter
7. Closing
8. Senders Signature
9. Senders name
10. Senders title
11. Identification initials
12. To whom copies were sent

No matter whom the business letter is being sent to, even a long time friend, all business letters should be written on letterhead. Simply put, this is a sign of a professional company.

How to Format the Business Letter

Business letters should be formatted with one to one and one half inch margins on each side. The body of the letter should be single spaced with one space after each sentence. Double spacing after a sentence is no longer the standard and was initially used when all correspondence was written on manual typewriters. Word processors and computer programs automatically include proper spacing when punctuation occurs and no additional spacing is needed. Formal writing should generally be used as a standard with the exception of those individuals who have specifically expressed a desire to be addressed by their first names. 

• Place the date four lines from the bottom of the letter head
• Type the senders name four lines from the date, press enter
• Type senders address directly under the senders name, press enter
• Enter the city, state, and zip code under the senders address, press enter
• Type the senders email address below the city, state, and zip code, press enter four times
• Type in recipients company name, press enter
• Type in recipients formal title, press enter
• Type in recipients full name, press enter
• Type in recipients address, press enter
• Type in recipients city, state, and zip code, press enter two times
• Type in salutation and press enter two times
• Type in the body of the letter, leaving one line in between each paragraph, do not indent paragraphs, this is generally not done in business letters. When done press enter twice
• Type in the closing using words like sincerely, with regards, etc., press enter four times (to leave room for a hand written signature)
• Type in senders name, press enter
• Type in senders title, press enter two times
• Type in the initials of person who has typed the letter, typically done in lower case, for example Jane Doe would be jd, press enter two times
• Type the letters cc, which stands for courtesy copies, and include the names of the individuals that were sent copies of the letter in alphabetical order, if no copies were sent, eliminate cc.
  

Here is an example of what a business letter should look like:

When writing a business letter, it is important to remember that a business wants to make a good impression on those that are receiving the letter. Some ways to make a good impression are:

• Make it personal. Ensure that you have the name of the person for which the letter is intended. If the letter is intended for Jane Doe, then address it to Jane Doe.
• Make it correct. Nothing in a business letter gives off a worse perception than have misspelled or incomplete words in the letter. Imaging the response received for a letter that uses you instead of your or the instead of these. Simple proofreading will ensure that this does not occur.
• Be appropriate. Writing a letter professionally can make the difference between a potential client walking away or accepting a deal. Do not write an informal letter to a person that you do not know. When in doubt, make it formal.
• Check your facts. Ensure that everything that you tell a client is as correct as possible. If you are informing them of a decrease or increase in price, make sure the product or service is the correct one and the price is correct as well.
• Be sincere. If your company is sending an apology for a mistake or change in service, make sure it is expressed as an apology and not as a, this is how it is report.
• Be relevant. Businesses do not want to receive correspondence about products and services that they do not use. If an IT company receives a letter about your new web development services, they may not appreciate it.

Remember, a business letter is a reflection on your business and shows the type of business that you are. Send out sloppy business letters and the message that sends will be a negative one.