Writing a Business Letter

The advent of email means there is more business communications, not less. As a result, writing a business letter - whether delivered electronically or by snail mail — has become more important than ever! The key elements to any business letter are shown following.

Salutation. Use one. Even in email. If you know the person well, the salutation might be as simple as: “Hi Steve” If not, stick to the tried and true: “Dear Mr. Jones.”

Body. Every business letter should have three basic paragraphs. The first always tells the reader why you're writing. The second is “meat” of the letter. The third paragraph sums it up. A quick example:

1. “I am writing to inquire about your affiliate program.”

2. “I would very much like to know the terms of your program. Also, could you send me a list of existing affiliates and a sample agreement?”

3. “I look forward to receiving your affiliate program information.”

Close. Keep it short and simple. Informally, a “thanks!”, “Best”, or “Cheers,” might be sufficient. More formal would be “Kind regards” or the tried-and-true “Sincerely.”

Signature. Have one. If on paper include your handwritten signature followed by your title. If email, your name with title.

Stationery. Don't forget stationery. It provides an important dynamic to your business letter. On paper, it provides the return address and positions your business. With email, it should do the same. In an email letter, if you don't use an HTML stationery background, make sure you do use a full name, company, address, phone number, and URL under the signature.

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