{"id":1291,"date":"2011-02-07T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2011-02-07T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/?p=1291"},"modified":"2015-05-27T11:18:07","modified_gmt":"2015-05-27T17:18:07","slug":"how-to-write-a-great-business-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/2011\/02\/how-to-write-a-great-business-letter\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Great Business Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/Envision-Letterhead-Papers\/-152264\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1966\" title=\"Envision Letterhead\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/DT044-234x300.jpg\" alt=\"Envision Letterhead\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/DT044-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/DT044-117x150.jpg 117w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/DT044-273x350.jpg 273w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/DT044.jpg 313w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><\/a>While paper correspondence seems to be falling by the wayside in our fast paced business world, following style, form and function is still a necessity. Regardless of whether you\u2019re sending a letter in an email or via snail-mail, there are rules that still need to be followed. Great business letters, regardless of the method of delivery, are designed as formal communication. This means taking a few things into account when it comes to the style and content.<\/p>\n<p>First, keep in mind who your intended audience is. If it\u2019s an individual, you\u2019ll want to handle it in a somewhat more personal manner than if you would a group. Also, keep in mind the purpose of the letter versus who will be reading it. Don\u2019t get too technical with someone who won\u2019t understand the references, but don\u2019t underestimate or undervalue the points you\u2019re trying to impress upon the recipient.<\/p>\n<p>One aspect to keep in mind if using regular mail is the stationery used. Having your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/Internet-Global-2-Letterhead-Papers\/-160035\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1965\" title=\"Internet Global Letterhead\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternetGlobalLH-234x300.jpg\" alt=\"Internet Global Letterhead\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternetGlobalLH-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternetGlobalLH-117x150.jpg 117w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternetGlobalLH-273x350.jpg 273w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternetGlobalLH.jpg 313w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><\/a>business letters on good quality <a class=\"wp-oembed\" title=\"Letterhead\" href=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/Letterhead\" target=\"_blank\">stationery<\/a> with the company logo embossed on it will always add a huge level of professionalism to any correspondence. Even negative business letters have a better reception when delivered on high quality stationery.<\/p>\n<p>Writing a great business letter doesn\u2019t mean it has to be stuffy and impersonal. Bringing a level of informality and personable attitude to the letter ensures the person reading it comes away with a sense of satisfaction that they\u2019re working with someone friendly and reasonable. However, don\u2019t be too informal and jokey as that could come across as too flighty and inconsequential. That would actually defeat the purpose of the letter.<\/p>\n<p>Generally, a great business letter will start off with a paragraph introducing the overall scenario. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/International-Letterhead-Papers\/-129702\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1964\" title=\"International Green Letterhead\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternationalGreenLH-236x300.jpg\" alt=\"International Green Letterhead\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternationalGreenLH-236x300.jpg 236w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternationalGreenLH-118x150.jpg 118w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternationalGreenLH-275x350.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/media\/InternationalGreenLH.jpg 315w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px\" \/><\/a>second paragraph gives an outline or agenda for the rest of the letter. Subsequent paragraphs will define each section of the outlined areas, and a final paragraph will tie up any loose ends with an encouragement to work towards a successful completion of the purpose of the letter.<\/p>\n<p>Even letters that are simply sent as a thank you will need to follow a similar style. But, after all is said and done, business letters are the backbone of corporate correspondence, and should be handled as such. Nothing of any importance can be started or handled without a great business letter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While paper correspondence seems to be falling by the wayside in our fast paced business world, following style, form and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-designing-business-communication"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1291"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14782,"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291\/revisions\/14782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paperdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}