Business letter
A business letter is a letter written in a formal language, usually used when writing from one business organization to another, or for correspondence between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties. Business letters usually follow a block format.
Parts of a Business Letter
Business Letters in the United States usually contain the following information (in this order):
- Letterhead or sender's address
- Date
- Inside address
- Salutation or Greeting
- Letter body
- Complimentary closing
- Signature, printed name, and position of sender
In some situations, a business letter may also include the following optional information:
- Reference (RE:)
- Carbon Copy Recipients (CC:)
- Enclosures (ENC:)
- Reference Initials
Business Letter Layout Guidelines
Addresses
The address is generally written from the most specific information (i.e. the recipient's name) to the most general (i.e. the city, state, ZIP Code or country). If the writer knows the recipient's gender, a courtesy title (Mr. or Ms.) should be included.
Example of Address Line:
| Mr. Bill Duffy |
| Director of Marketing |
| Acme Industrial, Inc. |
| PO Box 148761 |
| Shirley, New York 11967 |
Dates
The date typically goes before the inside address. In formal business writing, it is best to completely write out the date to avoid confusion. For example, the writer should write October 8, 2002 instead of 10/8/02. One reason for writing out the date is because 10/8/02 is August 10, 2002 in some countries.
Salutation
The salutation addresses the reader of your letter. It follows one of the following formats: 'Dear [Courtesy Title (Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., etc.)] [Name]' or 'Dear [Title]'. The salutation is followed by a colon in formal writing or a comma in informal writing. A courtesy title is included only if the gender of the recipient is known.
Body
The body of your letter should be written clearly and concisely. It includes as many paragraphs as are necessary to communicate the information.
If additional documents are being enclosed with a business letter they should be mentioned in the body of the letter.
Closing
A closing is included after the last paragraph of a business letter. Some examples of closings in business letters are Sincerely, Cordially, Respectfully, and Yours truly. The closing that is used will depend on the contents of the letter and who is recieving it.
Signature
The sender's signature is included after the closing. The sender's name and title should be typed under the signature.
Typist's reference
The typist's reference is optional and follows the sender's typed name and title. Typically, these are the last items in a business letter.
Typist's Initials
If the letter was typed by someone other than the sender, the initials of the typist are typically included at the end of the letter. The sender's initials are typed in capital letters followed by the typist's initials in lower case. The initials are separated by a colon.
Example: JM:ds
Enclosures
If additional documents are being included, such as a resume or price list, an enclosure notation is used to indicate that they are included with the letter. Enclosures should be mentioned in the body of the letter.
Examples: Enclosure Enc: Resume
Carbon Copy
If a business letter is being sent to people other than the recipient at the top of the letter it should be noted on the letter with the 'copy' or 'carbon copy' reference.
Example: cc: John Doe, Jane Doe
Different countries, different styles
Culture and society influence styles. Especially in the German speaking countries, formal rules are considered very important. An extreme example is the German industrial norm DIN 5008, which prescribes how to write German business letters in every detail from letterhead to closing.
External links
- Business Letter Generator - Online form that can be used to download a block-style business letter