Different Styles of Business Letters
Emails and texts have replaced letters in many areas of our lives, but knowing how to write a professional business letter is essential to small-business owners. Whether you are writing to suppliers, customers or a potential financing partner, your letter reflects on you and your business. A poorly styled letter might give the reader an impression that you lack the skills and professionalism to run your business.
The three acceptable styles of business letters are block, modified block and semiblock. The three differ most in where the lines begin. In the block style, all lines begin at the left margin. If you choose a modified-block style, begin all of the letter's sections except the return address and closing lines -- including your signature -- at the left margin; begin the exceptions at the center of your page. The semiblock style is identical to the modified block except you should indent the first line of each paragraph of the letter's body.
Use 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font to make your letter easy to read. Set 1-inch margins all around regardless of the style you choose to give your letter a professional look. The even space around your letter keeps it looking uncluttered and makes it easier to read. If you are using block style, always skip a line after your return address -- or heading -- before you include a date. If you are using modified block or semimodified block, the choice is yours whether to skip a line before the date. In all styles, skip a line between each section of your letter and between paragraphs in the letter's body.
Business letters have several sections. The heading includes your return address, the date and the recipient's address. The greeting or salutation is next, followed by the body, the closing and the signature line. Always include your full return address, though you can include your email address and phone and fax numbers if you choose. Include in the heading the recipient's identifying information, such as his department, if you have it. Begin your greeting with "Dear" followed by the person's personal or professional title. Use a colon after the greeting. Close your letter with "Sincerely," followed by a comma. Skip four lines and type your name and title. Sign the letter above your name.
Keep your style consistent throughout the letter. Unless it's necessary for proper composition, do not italicize, bold or underline words. Often these styles are used to emphasize certain words when writing informally, but they lend a lack of professionalism to business writing. Instead of one solid block of text in the body, break it up into several easy-to-read paragraphs. Ask someone to proofread your letter for errors and clarity problems before you send it.