What Business Letter Is
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A business letter is a type of correspondence between companies or between companies and individuals, such as customers, clients, contractors or other outside parties. Business letters differ from personal letters in that they are more formal in tone and writing style. However, the tone and style can vary greatly depending on the type of business letter.
Business letters serve a variety of purposes. They can be used to distribute or seek to obtain information. They can serve as apologies or for other troubleshooting strategies. The common purposes of writing business letters are for sales efforts, relationship building, issue resolving and considerations. You can write them to clients, prospective customers, managers, employees and business partners or
others. Other purposes of business letters include use a as a call to action, as an introduction or as a way to seek a position within a company.
Business Letter General Format Guide
Step1Return Address Line 1
The sender’s return address so the recipient knows where to reply.
Step2Date (Month Day, Year)
Put the date when the letter was written in Month/Day/Year format.
Step3Mr. /Mrs. /Ms. /Dr. Full name of recipient
The address of the recipient together with other details.
Step4Dear Ms. /Mrs. /Mr. Last Name:
Salutation.
Step5Subject: Title of Subject
Know the recipient what the letter is about.
Step6Body Paragraph 1 Body Paragraph 2 Body Paragraph 3
This is where you write the body of the letter.
Step7Sincerely,
Let the reader know that you are ending the letter.
Step8Signature
Handwritten signature goes here.
Step9Printed Full Name
Printed version of your full name goes under the signature.
Step10Enclosures
You add the word, “Enclosure” if the letter comes with other documents.
Step11Typist's Initials
If there is someone else wrote or typed the letter for you, include their initials.
Indentation Format
When writing business letters, you must use 8 ½" by 11" unlined paper. You should also use 1" margins on four sides. If you are using New Times Roman, make the size 12 but if you are using Georgia as your font, use 11 as font size. A business letter has to be one-spaced. Put the business letter in a No. 10 security envelope size 4 1/8” x 9 ½".
Here are four basic business letter formats.
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Letter Format
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Features
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Modified ,Block ,Indented Paragraphs
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Signature, date, and closing starts at the horizontal midpoint of the page. All of the body paragraphs are indented.
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Modified ,Block ,Blocked Paragraphs
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Signature, date, and closing starts at the horizontal midpoint of the page. All of the body paragraphs start at the left-hand margin.
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Full Block
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Every letter part starts at the left-hand margin.
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Simplified
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Every letter part begins at the left-hand margin. This format has a subject line but doesn’t have the signature and salutation.
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Tips for Writing a Business Letter
1
Always Use A Professional Tone In The Letter
Avoid using casual, informal terminology for your email – your business letter has to sound friendly but you have to keep it professional.
State your intention in the letter early. Always use clear, brief language to avoid confusion.
3
Use Color To Highlight The Important Words In Message
Bold or underline the words you want to highlight in the text.
Build a positive relationship with your reader immediately. If you establish a good connection to your reader, it is going to be easier for them to understand your message.
Make sure the letter is free from spelling and punctuation errors. Having poor grammar leaves the reader a bad impression.
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