Writing a professional business letter can be a challenge. It is difficult to find the right words and phrases that will generate enough interest to produce a positive response. Business letter writing, is comparable to creating an ad or flyer. Some of the same concepts apply in each scenario. All types of advertising need to capture the attention of your target market quickly. You generally have only 3-4 seconds.
Listed below are some key steps in forming your business letter:
1. Initiating the letter. The header should be your company. This is preferably your company logo. It brands your company from the first impression. If they receive future literature or advertisements from you, they will recognize your company immediately. Next, you should begin with an opening paragraph that grabs their attention. Keep all following paragraphs straight forward and to the point. A one page business letter will initiate the most productive results. We live in essentially, a non-read society.
2. Ask key questions that will promote the reader thinking about why they need your service or product. Bullet point the questions and indent them. They should stand out from the rest of the letter. This draws their eye to the questions and will give variety. The questions should be one liners. If readers see that the letter will be quick and easy to read they will be more likely to glance over your letter and pick out the most pertinent information. Questions are also good because it will start them thinking of the answers, which leads to a need for your service or product.
3. Establishing credibility. Show how your company can benefit their business. Help them understand why they need your services over someone else. Explain to them what your company offers and any endorsements or years of experience your company has. Also, by relating to them personally, you will alleviate most hesitation. When writing your letter use the word “you” instead of”I”. They want to know what you can do for them. Another important aspect of establishing credibility is showing “value”. This especially applies when your product or service is priced higher.
4. Call to action phrases that offer an incentive to respond promptly. These should be phrases that promote a discount, time frame, free service or product, introductory offer, etc. It is also best to highlight, change or enlarge font to set the call to action phrase apart from the rest of the letter. This may be the first thing that conquers their attention. You can read my free article on,
Marketing And Advertising: Power Point Phrases That Will Create Income. It is listed on this web site along with my other free articles. I have listed specific phrases that may be helpful when writing your business letter.
Your business letter should look and sound professional. Nice quality paper exhibits a more professional business letter. Soft blue parchment with black lettering is an excellent choice. It stands out and has a clean look. Because the expense is more for parchment paper, you can use it for clients that yield a higher residual. For mass mailing, white with black lettering is good. Make sure to always have your letterhead at the top showing professionalism.
You do not have to be a great writer to compose a beneficial business letter. If your letter is well thought out and direct, it will be effective in achieving the goals you desire. Having someone critique your business letter will also be advantageous. No matter how many times you check for errors, it is easy to miss something. An outsider can also give input on content. They can give an objective view of what you have communicated.
