How to write a business latter

 Purpose of a Business Letter

A business letter (or formal letter) is a formal way of communicating between two or more parties. There are many different uses and business letters. Business letters can be informational, persuasive, motivational, or promotional. Business letters should be typed and printed out on standard 8.5" x 11" white paper.

Elements of a Good Letter
The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability to identify and write to your audience. If you are addressing your letter to the department of human resources, avoid using highly technical terms that only engineers would understand, even if your letter is addressed to an engineering company, chances are that the personnel in human resources does not have an engineering background.

The next element is that you make sure your present your objective in a clear and concise manner. Don't be vague about your objective, most people will not have the patience to sit there and guess at the meaning of your letter or the time to read a long-winded letter, just get to the point without going into unnecessary details.

Another important element to remember is to remain professional. Even if you are writing a complaint letter, remain polite and courteous, simply state the problem(s) along with any other relevant information and be sure to avoid threats and slander.

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Different between formal and informal latter

 

Formal Letters	Informal Letters
Formal letters follow fixed pattern of styles	Informal letters have varied patterns of styles
Formal letters are mostly used in working environments like offices	Informal letters have very limited usage in working environments
The language of the letter in formal letters is by and large impersonal or work related	The language of the letter in informal letters is by and large personal or related to social aspects
Formal letters can have informal tone whilst writing under certain circumstances	Informal letters do not have a formal tone as they are meant to express emotions and social communication
Informal words like 'Gonna', 'Wanna', 'Dude', 'Bro' etc. cannot be used in formal letters	Informal letters are not restricted in language. Slang words and non conventional terminology is acceptable in these letters
A lot of care is taken to write the appropriate Salutations in formal letters	2-3 types of salutations are acceptable for informal letters as there is not much need of formality
Length of the letter is very important and it shouldn't be too long	Length of the informal letters varies depending upon the subject matter
Closing or Complimentary gestures vary in formal letters	Closing or Complimentary gestures don't vary as much in informal letters
Letter Head is a conventional practice in formal letters	Letter Head is not a conventional practice in informal letters

 

Letters can also be categorised as per their purposes. Since most of the letters are written for academic, business, personal and reference purposes they can be categorised in a similar manner

The most common purposes for which letters are written divide them into:

• Academic Letters - Letters concerned with academic affairs of various academic institutions or pertaining to academics under various capacities are known as academic letters.
  
  Some of the types of academic letters
  
  
  • Announcement Letter
  • Application Letter
  • Leave Letter
  • Recommendation Letter

• Business Letters - Letters written for purpose related to business and its' relative processes are known as business letters.
  
  Some of the types of business letters
  
  
  • Acceptance Letter
  • Acknowledgement Letter
  • Adjustment Letter
  • Request Letter
  • Resolution Letter
  • Sales Letter

• Personal Letters - Letters written for sharing personal information, views, opinions etc. are known as personal letters. They are akin to Informal Letters.
  
  Some of the types of personal letters
  
  
  • Cancellation Letter
  • Condolence Letter
  • Farewell Letter
  • Friendly Letter
  • Get Well Letter
  • Holiday Letter
  • Love Letter

• Reference Letters - Letters written by an authoritative person for an acquaintance, to introduce the acquaintance to the concerned for employment, admission and/or other objectives. These letters are similar to formal letters.
  
  Some of the types of reference letters
  
  
  • Adoption Reference Letter
  • Business Reference Letter
  • Character Reference Letter
  • Employer Reference Letter / Job Reference Letter
  • Scholarship Reference Letter
  • Teacher Reference Letter

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Cover latter

 What is a cover letter?

A cover letter is a brief one page letter sent along with the resume to potential employers. The purpose of the cover letter is to present yourself to potential employers and to let them know what position you are interested in and why you'd be a good fit to the position and company.

Cover Letter Writing

Generally the cover letter will consist of three paragraphs. The first paragraph is an introductory one which introduces yourself. You want to include information on the position you are applying for, how you heard about it and why you are interested in the position and/or company.

The second paragraph should provide information on your skill, strengths, education, qualifications and/or experience. This paragraph should be concise and give specific examples of why you are the ideal candidate and not simply restate your resume.

The final paragraph should close up the letter by requesting an interview and possibly suggest times that are convenient for you or stating that you can come in at a time that's convenient for the employer. Also you should let the recipient know what the best way and/or time to contact you is (you should let them know both your contact email and phone number so that they can contact you in their preferred method). Or you can let them that you'll follow up the letter with a phone call in several days. You should thank them for their time to close up the letter.

Each cover letter that you send out should be unique and tailored to the specific company and position you are applying to. Using one cookie cutter cover letter will lessen your chances for landing an interview. Also be sure to check for grammar and spelling and keep the letter to one page in length.

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Common mistakes in latter writing

 Failing to personalize:

Avoid saying, "Dear Sir or Madam" and take the initiative to find out the appropriate contact name.
Starting off weak:
Your opening paragraph should capture the reader's attention. So, rather than simply saying, "I am applying for the receptionist position posted at AnytownPaper.com," follow up with, "Your need for an experienced professional is a good match for my five years of experience in publishing and extensive background as a receptionist. "If you've been referred to the hiring manager, be sure to point out the mutual contact in your lead. This may encourage the person to read further.
Making it too short/long:
E-mailed cover letters should be included within the body of the e-mail and be limited to two paragraphs, while those faxed or mailed should be three to five paragraphs.
Being generic:
Don't send the same cover letter to all companies. Take the time to do some basic research of prospective employers so you can customize them.
Rehashing the resume:
Instead, focus on aspects of your background that relate directly to the job opportunity and note any relevant accomplishments, training, classes or certifications. The cover letter also allows you to explain anything that might be unclear or questionable on your resume, such as a gap in employment or change in career paths.
Underselling your talents:
Give hiring managers a compelling reason to call you in for an interview. Instead of saying you have strong communication skills, provide examples: "I recently led a training session on a new database application and received significant praise for my ability to relay complex information to a non-tech-oriented audience."
Trying to be witty or humorous:
This can backfire, so it's best to stick with a business letter format, even with e-mailed cover letters. A professional yet conversational tone and salutations such as "Mr." and "Ms." will help you be taken seriously.
Focusing too much on yourself:
While you want to sell your qualifications, don't forget to explain how you would add value to the company. If your cover letter is dominated with "I," chances are you need to focus more of your content on the prospective employer.
Omitting contact information:
It's easy for cover letters and resumes to become separated, so make sure hiring managers can reach you should they only have your cover letter. Close your letter by mentioning that you'll call the individual soon to follow up and include a current phone number and e-mail address where you can be reached should the person want to contact you first.
Failing to proofread:
As qualified as you may be for the opening, you're likely to fall out of contention if your cover letter is full of typos, misspellings and grammatical errors.
Writing too much
Donot write toomuch as if you are writing your autobiography.One page is quite enough if it contains all the details needed.

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Business latter

 The following are some tips to help you when you are writing business letters through email.

A heading is not necessary in an email (your return address, their address, and the date).

Use a descriptive subject line.

Avoid using an inappropriate or silly email address; register a professional sounding address if you don't have one.

Use simple formatting, keep everything flush with the left margin; avoid special formatting and tabs.

Keep your letter formal, just because it's an email instead of a hard copy is no excuse for informality (don't forget to use spell check and proper grammar).

Try to keep your letter less than 80 characters wide, some email readers will create line breaks on anything longer and ruin the formatting.

If possible, avoid attachments unless the recipient has requested or is expecting an attachment. If it is a text document, simply cut and paste the text below your letter and strip out any special formatting.

If the person's name is unknown, address the person's title e.g. Dear Director of Human Resources.

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Types of latter

 There are various kinds of letters like Address Change Letter, Business Letter, Cover Letter, Farewell Letter, Get Well Letter and so on. These different types of letters are different in their subject, occasion and purpose. They have various criteria like format, length, vocabulary, language and other essentials which need to be followed.

The most widely acceptable types of letters are:

Formal Letters

Formal letters are those letters which follow certain styles of writing a letter. They are known as formal letters because they are written in accordance with certain established practices. Such letters are mostly used in working environments like various offices and businesses and have very meagre emotional language. Formal letters are mostly written by officials and businessmen.

Informal Letters

Informal letters are those letters which are written with minimalistic rules, thus the term informal letters. Informal letters are personal correspondences and that is why they do not require as much of a rule observance as compared to the formal letters. Informal letters are mostly written by relatives, friends, peers etc. of the recipient. The purpose of writing informal letters is socialisation and information exchange.

Informal and Formal Letters are further subdivided into various categories which further may have their own subcategories

Formal Letters	Informal Letters
Acceptance Letter	Address Change Letter
Address Change Letter	Announcement Letter
Adjustment Letter	Acknowledgement Letter
Announcement Letter	Cancellation Letter
Acknowledgement Letter	Condolence Letter
Business Letter	Confirmation Letter
Cancellation Letter	Farewell Letter
Complaint Letter	Friendly Letter
Condolence Letter	Holiday Letter
Confirmation Letter	Invitation Letter
Cover Letter Cover Letter for Visa	Love Letter
Inquiry Letter	Thanks Letter
Invitation Letter
Leave Letter Maternity Leave Letter
Persuasive Letter
Petition Letter
Refusal Letter
Request Letter
Reference Letter
Resignation Letter
Resolution Letter
Retirement Letter
Recommendation Letter
Sales Letter
Termination Letter
Thanks Letter

As is evident from the above mentioned, certain letters have been categorised under both informal and formal types of letters. This is because certain letters have informal ingredients even when they are written within the parameters of formal letters. The above categorisation is just to show a division and not to strictly confine a letter to just one category only. Certain letters are strictly formal as they have to follow certain regulations and their use is restricted to just the official environment. And some formal letters when written to express emotions within a working environment use informal language as without using the informal language the letters wouldn't be able to properly express the emotions they want to.

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How to write latter

 The art of writing a letter takes practice, knowledge about proper form and the ability to put into words your feelings, thoughts, and/or ideas. If you learn the basic parts of a letter, it will help you to create letters for a variety of occasions.

The Presentation of the Letter
The presentation of the letter can be hand-written for less formal letters that are addressed to friends and family members, especially thank-you letters. In the case that you have illegible handwriting, you may want to consider typing the letters. Formal letters which are written on behalf of businesses to or professional contacts should remain typewritten and grammatical and spelling error free. These types of letters should be legible and professional and therefore typing the letter is one of the most effective ways to ensure that the letter demonstrates a professional appearance through the entire course of the letter, thereby creating a positive impression on the recipient of the letter.
As well as outward presentation, it is important to determine the tone which will be written in the letter, including a professional tone or a tone that will be taken with friends or family members in a more informal setting. Read through the letter once it has been completed to ensure that the tone remains the same. The tone can be adjusted based on the language which is used through the letter.

Parts of the Letter:
Your address
At the top of your letter, you will put your address, so the reader will know where to send their reply to.
Date
Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year i.e. June, 15, 2009.
Inside Address
The inside address is only required for a business letter and will include the address of the person you are writing to along with the name of the recipient, their title and company name. If you are not sure who the letter should be addressed to either leave it blank or try to put in a title, i.e. "Director of Human Resources".
The Greeting
The greeting will address the individual that the letter is being sent to. This is usually completed in the form of "Dear Anne" or "Hey Anne", for less formal letters.
The Introductory Paragraph
The first paragraph and will generally outline the purpose for the letter and the reason that the letter is being sent. This can address any issues that are outstanding and is used to set the tone for the entire rest of the letter. In this first paragraph, the summary of the letter can be found and the intentions which will be displayed through the rest of the letter should be outlined. From the first paragraph of the letter, the introductory paragraph, the individual should be able to note the tone of the letter.
The Body
The body of the letter will expand upon the introductory paragraph and the individual can extend their thoughts and feelings further when it comes to the letter. The body of the letter can be anywhere from multiple pages for personal letters, to one page or two pages for most business letters and other types of proposals.
The Closing
In the closing of the letter, the individual will close the letter and finish any thoughts that have been mentioned. The closing of the letter comes in various forms from yours truly, for those individuals that are familiar with one another, to a traditional sincerely which is a versatile closing that can be used in a variety of letters detailing many situations.

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