Knowing your audience is critical to writing a good business letter. That is to say that the language, style and content of your letter must be appropriate to the values and expectations of your target audience.

Format

A business letter is rarely written by hand, but is nearly always typed, or, nowadays, printed. There is a standard format for writing a business letter, which it is advisable to adopt. It is standard practice to have a margin of at least one inch on all four sides of your stationery. Your page should be set 8?"x11" (or equivalent), in your word processing software, and you should preferably use a company letterhead, particularly is your letter is to be printed as hard copy.

The following are the important components of a business letter.

1. The Heading.
The return address, together with the date, forms the heading. Letterhead stationery is usually printed with the address and all other contact information.

2. The Inside Address.
This is the address of the person, or company, to whom you are sending the letter. Be sure to include the full name of the addressee as well as his/her title, and designation, if they are known. This should be aligned to the left margin.

A standard 9" business envelope may be used for a letter printed on 8?" x 11" paper. When folded neatly, the inside address will appear through the window in the envelope.

Use single line spacing after the heading, before the inside address, and again after the inside address, before the greeting, to give your letter a neat and professional look.

3. The Salutation or Greeting.
The greeting in a business letter usually begins with "Dear" written together with the person's title and last name. If you are already on first name terms with the recipient, it would be in order for you to use the first name here.

4. The Body.
Different styles can be adopted for writing the body of the letter. You may start a fresh paragraph with indentation, but this practice is rarely followed nowadays. This is referred to as the ?block? style because there is no need for indentation in the letter. However, do remember to leave a blank line between paragraphs.

5. The Close.
Use a brief, but polite, closing, aligned left and ending with a comma ? ?Yours sincerely,? for example, if you have addressed the recipient by name, or ?Yours faithfully,?, if you have not.

6. The Signature Line.
Your name and designation should be printed, after skipping at least two lines, so you will be able to insert your signature just above the printed name. Business letters do not, generally, include a postscript, unless for specific effect.

Conclusion

Business letter writing is a very important skill to acquire, as it forms a significant part of many different jobs, and careers. A standard format for business letters may be used, although some organizations and companies have formats that vary slightly from the standard. Convey your message in clear terms, in simple language, and you are much more likely to make a favourable impression on the recipient.