BUSINESS WRITING: Overview, Types, Key Principles

BUSINESS WRITING: Overview, Types, Key Principles
BUSINESS WRITING: Overview, Types, Key Principles

Business writing is a focused writing that conveys relevant information to the reader in a clear, concise, and effective manner.  It can be divided into four types: educational, informational, persuasive and transactional.

Clarity of thought, brevity, correct grammar and sentence structure, simple language characterize effective business writing.

What Is Business Writing?

Business writing is the process of communicating business ideas and concepts through the written word.  This form of business communication aims to persuade, inform or entertain.

Good business writing follows an optimal writing process that first identifies the reader and purpose, and then provides the information that the identified reader needs. 

The information provided should be logical, well organized and written in concise, clear, attractive language that is grammatically correct.

Improving your business writing can benefit both your career and your business.  It is the channel that conveys almost all business work, understanding and interaction.  It is the source of life and the basis of a strong business.

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Why Do You Need Business Writing?

This documentation is: for companies or about businesses.  It conveys statistics, conveys facts, conveys points, informs about the “corporate ladder” or communicates with customers and other companies.

It is usually intended for readers who do not have a lot of time, but who may have to absorb a lot of important information.

It should never contain errors.  Avoid colloquial or informal language, always avoid fancy fonts and say what needs to be said.

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What Are The Types Of Business Writing?

The broad field of business writing can be divided into four categories depending on their purpose, for example:

Educational

The instructional type of business writing is directed and aims to guide the reader through the steps of completing a task.  A user manual falls neatly into the category of instructions, as does a memo to all employees that describes how a certain task will be done in the future.

Informational

An informative business letter refers to the accurate and consistent recording of business information. 

It contains the documents needed to carry out essential business functions to track development, outline plans and comply with legal obligations.  For example, company financial statements, meeting minutes, and perhaps most importantly, report writing.

Persuasive

The purpose of persuasive writing is to impress the reader and influence his decision.  It conveys relevant information to convince them that a particular product, service, company or relationship offers the best value. 

This type of writing is usually associated with marketing and sales.  It contains offers, mass sales mailings and press releases.

Transactional

Everyday communication in the workplace belongs to the category of transactional business documents.  The majority of such communication is via e-mail, but also includes formal letters, forms and invoices.

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What Is Proposal Business Writing?

A business writing proposal is a sales document designed to convince your potential customers to buy from you.  Whether you’re starting a new business or growing an existing one, a business proposition is used in a variety of industries to help sell a wide variety of products or services. 

From selling carpets to offering enterprise software solutions and social media marketing, it all starts with a business proposition.

Apart from the difference in industries, the main division is between solicited and unsolicited business proposals.  A solicited offer is sent when you already have a relationship with a potential buyer and they are interested in what you are selling.  Usually, the buyer will make an offer himself.

An unsolicited offer, on the other hand, is sent without an explicit request from someone who might be interested in what you’re selling.

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Best Business Writing Courses

The Business Writing Center

The Business Writing Center is aimed at companies whose employees struggle with communication and writing in their professional lives and need an extra push to help them move forward in their careers. 

Focusing on topics such as grammar and clarity, the Business Writing Center will collect writing samples and determine the best course for each individual based on their writing level.

Courses are defined by their length and the investment required (both money and time), with some being ‘short’ or ‘in-depth’ and others being self-paced.  Others are labeled as “customized,” in which the institution consults with companies to accommodate each individual taking the course.

Domestika

With classes aimed at entrepreneurs, Domestika can help you develop skills such as copywriting to set your brand tone, writing techniques to sell ideas and storytelling techniques to get your message across. 

Courses are rated and reviewed by previous users to give you an idea of ​​how others have enjoyed them, and the prices are low. 

In addition, classes are pre-recorded by people living around the world with subtitles available in multiple languages ​​to appeal to a wide audience.  This approach allows you to get a business idea from international professionals!

LinkedIn Learning

US-based LinkedIn is primarily known as a professional networking site, but the site also offers users access to thousands of online courses taught by experts in almost every field imaginable. 

The fee structure is in line with a subscription service, offering users unlimited access after paying a monthly fee.  You can take classes on mobile or desktop, so lifelong learning is convenient wherever you are. 

Plus, a subscription service can give you extra motivation to get your money back every month and keep learning new subjects.  You can join as a workplace or just as an individual looking for a boost in your business communication.

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What Is Business Writing Letters?

A business writing letter serves as an example of business writing of agreements.  It is an official printed document that a person sends to a colleague, manager or professional partner. 

Generally, people use this type of business writing when communicating about work or business. For example, an employee may write a letter of resignation to communicate his decision to leave his job. 

Or a sales professional can send promotional letters to his customers to introduce a new product and describe its features.  There are several types of business letters, including:

  • Business proposal letters
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Follow-up letters for the interview
  • Offer letters
  • Applications for dismissal

Despite their varied content, business letters generally follow a certain format.  It should contain contact information for the sender and the recipient, a formal greeting, a closing statement, and the sender’s signature. 

The body of the letter can consist of one or more paragraphs that convey the intended message.  Because of its formal nature and the time it can take to send, this type of business letter is not suitable for sending quick messages.

How To Do A Business Writing: Tips

You can improve your business writing skills quickly and easily by following these simple tips. If you want to improve your skills, try incorporating some of the following tips into your next written business communication:

Be concise

When corresponding with professional colleagues, try to keep your message short.  During business hours, recipients may not have much time to read your message.  Cut out any unnecessary words or irrelevant information and focus your messages on the main thing.

Adapt to your audience

Before you write, think about your readers.  This step can help you determine what type of content you want and don’t need, as well as the appropriate language and tone to use. 

For example, when writing to someone outside of your industry, you should avoid using industry jargon that may be unfamiliar to that person.  Or an email to your boss may require a more formal tone than one you send to a close colleague.

Split the text

Some people find it difficult to read or focus on large blocks of text.  Break different ideas into new paragraphs or use bullet points to quickly convey ideas to readers.  You can also include elements such as headings to add context or demonstrate your main ideas.

Use templates

If you have certain types of business communications that you use regularly, try finding or creating templates to make the process more efficient. 

For example, templates allow you to fill in the blanks instead of starting over each time, such as when you need to write a meeting agenda.  Some companies even provide templates to employees to keep documents, such as business reports or presentations, consistent.

Check your work

You should always review your documents before sending or submitting them.  Be sure to correct and remove any spelling, grammatical, or other errors. 

An error-free document impresses readers and demonstrates your professionalism.  You can also ask a colleague to read it to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

Conclusion

The most important element in this type of writing is the information it conveys.  If there are gaps in the content, incorrect information, irrelevant information, or the same information is repeated in different rotations, the document will not be created. Even if the words and grammar are beautiful and correct, the document will not work.

At its core, business writing is about exchanging information, so the information contained in your document is the foundation of good business writing.  The information must be complete, relevant to the reader and accurate.

Business Writing FAQs

What Is A Business Proposal Template?

Simply put, a proposal template is a proposal that is about 90% ready.  As mentioned above, the template contains everything you want to send in one offer.  Your best intro, your best pricing strategy, your best confirmation type, your best cover page, and more.  The template combines all the best elements of the offers you sent that led to sales of your product or service.

What Is Transactional Business Writing?

Transactional business writing consists of everyday communication in the workplace.  It is used to promote general operations and to communicate good and bad news, often related to human resources processes.

Most transactional documentation is done via email, but also includes official letters, forms and invoices.  A termination notice that provides the necessary context and details for termination is another example of this type of written letter.

What Is Informational Business Writing?

An informational business letter refers to the accurate and consistent recording of business information.  This type of writing doesn’t necessarily require action from the reader, but it’s important to keep them up-to-date on the basic functions of the business.

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An informational business letter refers to the accurate and consistent recording of business information.  This type of writing doesn't necessarily require action from the reader, but it's important to keep them up-to-date on the basic functions of the business.

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