A business letter is basically a letter from you to another business, corporation, or from such companies and their clients, customers, or others external to the company. Generally, the general format of business letter remains the same. However, due to different circumstances, it is important to customize your business letter and format it in a way that suits your needs. In other words, there are three kinds of business letter format: standard business letter format, executive business letter format, and sales letter format.
A standard business letter format has the name of the sender, recipient, date, and address, in order of importance. The subject line is usually “To whom it may concern”, or simply “Dear Sir”. The body of the letter has the names of the sender and recipient, along with the date and address. The date should also be written in full, though it is not necessary. The body of business letters may include information such as the name of the company, address, telephone number, and email address.
A proper business letters format has all the proper aspects of a formal letter, yet simple enough for everyday use. Firstly, all the necessary details must be included in the envelope. If you want to inform your recipient that your letter is to be sent via registered mail, then you should enclose a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) with your return address on the envelope. The recipient can keep the envelope until he/she read your letter.
Secondly, when it comes to the subject line, you must make sure that your subject line is clear and the topic of your letterhead is evident. Double check your spelling and grammatical errors before sending out business letters. Moreover, you must make sure to write clearly and professionally in a double white space.
Thirdly, if you want to send a business letter through semi-block format, then you may include one paragraph of the letter with single sentences, a heading or a subheading and one or two paragraphs in a single block format. It is recommended to keep a tab on how many paragraphs you are going to write in each block. Keep your paragraphs short, clear and to the point.
Fourthly, you must remember to give your recipient a deadline, which is indicated at the very top of your business letters. If you fail to do so, your receiver will get irritated and could even delete your letters. Fifthly, you have to indicate the address of your receiver at the very bottom of your business letters. It would be best to also include a phone number in case your receiver is stuck and not able to contact you.
