III. The types of business letters

Business letter is an old form of official correspondence. A business letter is written by an individual to an organization or by an organization to another organization. There are various kinds of business letters, used for various purposes. They are divided into two types: the business to business type and the business to client type. One writes a letter to enquire information, apply for a job, acknowledge someone's work, and appreciate one’s job done, etc.

As the motive of writing the letter is different, the style of the letter changes and you get different types of business letters. The various types of business letters are used by different people to serve the purpose of sending the message across.

Business-to-business types are intended for company to company communication. Examples are:

• Appreciation letter – a letter of gratitude and appreciation for help extended, or a good business deal.

• Thank you – is a letter of gratitude.

• Congratulations – is a letter that praises the recipient for a job well done.

• Letter of recognition – a written statement of recognized efforts similar to an appreciation letter.

• Letter of reference – is a character reference letter. It is a letter building up the character of a person to be accepted in a job.

• Recommendation – is an endorsement letter to hire a certain person.

• Sympathy letter – is a letter of condolences to a person or a family.

• Invitation letter – is a letter persuading a person or a company to join an event or an occasion.

• Letter of credit – is a way of endorsing a certain business to be considered a credit loan.

• Letter of interest – a reply to an invitation that confirms presence on the event/occasion.

• Business memorandum – notices that are distributed to the staff. They are reminders of company activities, or imminent changes in the company.

• Business introduction – is done to introduce a new business to the readers.

• Business letter – a letter that talks about the plans for the business.

• Donation letter – a letter asking for donations.

• Termination letter – more popularly known as a resignation letter. It signifies someone's desire to leave a job permanently.

Business-to-Client letters are:

• Welcome letter – welcomes the client and thanks him for choosing the company.

• Letter of appreciation – thanks the client for having business with the company.

• Apology letter – asks the client for reconsideration, and apologizes for failing to deliver.

• Collection letter – notices outstanding payments due.

• Invoice letter template – this is asking the clients to state the invoice number of their transactions.

• Letter of invitation – invites a client to join a certain gathering.

• Marketing letter – is stating the newest products that the company will provide soon or is presently providing.

• Rejection letter – is stating the rejection of the client's request.

Business letters are more formal in writing. Follow the formats strictly. Be concise, clear and direct to the point.