A business letter is basically a letter written by one business to another, usually between these companies and their clients, vendors, or other authorized parties. The format of business letter usually depends on the relationship between these parties involved. Example: a business letter may be written as an official letter of invitation to the meeting or conference. The recipient will be able to get the important information that he needs to do business with the company. Business letters are also written as thank you letters, when companies are acknowledging the services or the items bought from them.
There are four important sections in business letters: salutation, information, body, and closing. In a salutation, the name of the sender must be mentioned. Regarding the body, it is necessary to indicate who is writing it (which part of the world), the business address, the recipient’s name, and the date of the event. Regarding the closing, it is necessary to indicate the sender’s thanks, and politely request the recipient not contact the sender within a certain period of time. A typical sample for a business letter format has the names of both the sender and the recipient, the street address of the office, the company name, and the recipient’s name, together with the date of the event. Sometimes, salutations are also written on letters.
An example for a standard business letter format has the following contents: First, the recipient is requested to please send a note of the date and time of the call, so that the recipient can follow up on a given appointment. Second, the recipient is invited to visit the office to be informed about the business. Third, the name of the business and its address is mentioned briefly, together with its phone number and fax number.
After a business letter format has been used, there are several optional additions that can be made. If a logo is to be used, then the signature block should also be included. In a business letter format with a signature block, the text of the signature and its location is enclosed within the curly braces, while the signature itself is written outside the braces. The signature block can be contained inside a standard quote, enclosed within single quote marks, enclosed within double quotes, or enclosed in a single word.
In a business letter format with three paragraphs, the first paragraph contains the names of the sender and the recipient, the second paragraph consists of the purpose of the communication, and the third paragraph explains, in simple but formal language, how to follow the instructions. In the second paragraph, the names of the sender and the recipient are mentioned. In the third paragraph, information on how to follow the instructions is provided. The fourth paragraph, which is the conclusion of the document, summarizes the subject matter. For a more useful and efficient format, the fifth paragraph is suggested.
In the second and third paragraphs of a standard block letter format, the salutation should be enclosed in the braces. If the recipient is an individual, the name should be typed after the @ sign. If the recipient is a company, the letter format is followed by the designation of the company, the name of the person who is responsible for sending the letter, and his or her address. If the recipient is a company, the name and the address of the person responsible for sending the letter should be typed exactly as they appear in the company’s address line.
