Business Letter Format

Business letters are spokespersons for your organization. A formal letter of such an order is a silent salesman for your business house. Such a letter must be written in a formal style and format. A business correspondence has to be made in the most clear, correct and a concise way. To script the perfect business letter, one must keep in mind the audience which is limited, in terms of number and time on hand. Thus, the audience is only interested in knowing the 'bottom line'. Hence one must adhere to a standard business letter format while writing a business letter.

How to write a Business Letter Format

Address
Ideally, there are two addresses in a business letter format. On the top right corner, comes the return address or the address of the one who writes the letter and one line below it, on the left corner is the recipients address. On the first line of the recipients address comes the name with designation. The return address has to end with the date on the last line.

Subject Line
A subject line is the most important part of professional business letter format. The gist of the letter/subject or the topic in question is mentioned briefly in one line. Writing the subject line is important, as it gets the reader's attention, thus instigating him/her to read.

Salutation
In a formal letter format, the salutation has to be written in a formal language. Respected Sir or Respected Madam. You may come across formats suggesting 'Dear (recipient's name)'. However, refrain from using such salutations.

Body of the Letter
The letter begins on the next line of the salutation. The body of the letter is mainly divided into three paragraphs. The first paragraph gives a reference. Say, 'This is a letter written in response to your advertisement the Times of India dated (date)', is a reference. Also the first paragraph is supposed to introduce the sender to the recipient. The second paragraph is the main part of the letter. Since you have a limited space, the topic must be explained with the correct choice of words and every explicitly. Sometimes, one can use another paragraph for making a point, but not more than that. The last paragraph of the letter, is your final chance of making your impression. As you conclude your letter, thank your reader for sparing time to read the letter. The conclusion must be proactive, as in suggesting a request or an action.

Complimentary Close
The closing of a formal letter is as important as any other part of the letter. The closing part of a letter is called a complimentary close. 'Yours Sincerely', 'Yours Faithfully' and 'Yours Truly' are some of the commonly used professional letter closings. These words are followed by a comma. Leave a two finger space after the complimentary close for your signature and write your full name.

Enclosures
Usually formal letters for job interviews require enclosures. Skip about four lines after typing your name and write 'Enclosure' or 'Enclosures' if you have more than one attachment to make. Professional letter format never has a P.S., which stands for post script.

This business letter format, is widely used in most of the organized and is generally accepted. The aesthetics of a letter are as important as the art of letter writing. Good quality of paper, flawless writing, sober color combinations, exact folds, crisp envelopes and correct address make a huge difference in making a positive impression of on the reader's mind.