Mastering the Art of Business Letters

Business letters are formal letters used for correspondence between clients and businesses or anyone related to the business. Writing business letters is considered something difficult, the only reason being that they are somewhat different than personal letters. Business letters are of various types. Let’s have a look at the few things that we should remember while writing any kind of business letter.

Body

In the body of the letter, use formal language and deliver your message in short and comprehensive sentences. Give space between two paragraphs. The purpose of the letter should be stated in the first sentence. The last paragraph should summarize what you intended to say to the reader.
Valediction and Your Signature

Close the letter with ‘Regards’ or ‘Thank you’ and below that write your name. If you intend to send a hardcopy of the letter, leave some space above your name so that you can put your signature.
Proofreading

Check for spelling and grammatical mistakes because they make a letter look less professional and reflects carelessness. Make sure that you have answered all the queries or given all the necessary information etc. The letter should have a simple font instead of a complicated, decorative one. Avoid any kind of partiality, be it religious or political.
Narrow Down Your Purpose of Writing

You have to be very clear what your purpose is while writing a business letter. The usual intention is to get some information across or convince the reader to do something.
Adopt a Simple and Straight Tone

Don’t make your letter hard to understand or too long. It should be concise and clear. Use a courteous tone and make it convincing. The information should be correct because sometimes business letters have legal implications.
Salutations: Beginning Your Letter

Start the letter with a date on top left corner followed by the sender’s address and company’s name. If you are using a letter head with the address already mentioned then do not repeat it.

Below that write recipient’s address and company’s name. If the recipient’s name is known, state that with preferably a title i.e. Mr. Ms. or Dr.

You can use:

Dear …………, [Put the designation or name in the dashed area if you know it]

Dear Sir or Madam, [Use if you don't know who you are writing to]

If you know the person well you can use ‘Dear’ before writing recipient’s name for salutation. To remain more formal than that, ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ would do. If you do not know the recipient’s name ‘To whom It May Concern’ works just fine.