Tips on how to write a business letter
When writing a business letter, you need to understand the basic format that will be used.
All business letters must include the sender’s address. If you are writing on behalf of a company, the address will already be printed on the letterhead. If you are sending the letter personally, the address should be center aligned and placed at the top of the page.
The date is an important element of a business letter. This should be placed a few lines below the return address.
The next important component of a business letter is the address of the person you are writing to. You must leave two lines of space after the date and then type this address. The correct format is to include the person’s full name, company name, address, city name, state name, and zip or postal code. If the recipient of the letter is abroad, mention the name of the country. You can also include the recipient’s title, such as Mr., Dr., etc., although many people skip this part these days.
The greeting comes next. Leave two lines after the recipient’s address and start with the salutation. It is acceptable practice to use the person’s first name if you know the person well. Otherwise, address the letter to Mr. X or Mrs. Y, as the case may be. If you’re not sure which greeting to use, it’s wise to be formal rather than risk being too informal. The salutation is followed by a colon or a comma, both of which are correct.
The main body of the letter contains the message you need to communicate. This must be written in simple, clear and concise language.
The body of the letter is followed by the complementary closing. Between the last line of the body and the complementary closing there must be a space of two lines. The courtesy closing could be in the form of ‘sincerely’, ‘sincerely’, etc. Today it is acceptable to end a letter simply by using ‘Best Regards’ as a courtesy closing.
After the courtesy close, please leave a space of four to six lines before adding your signature. This must be hand signed. Please state your name and designation below your signature. Typically, the designation should appear on the line after the writer’s name.