ENVELOPES and CARDS
The use of postcards and mailed correspondence has declined dramatically in recent decades, for obvious reasons. The predominance of e-mail, however, has not completely done away with traditional messaging (far from it); and a proof of this is that, although less than your mail, you keep opening your mailbox to see if anything has arrived. It's probably spam most of the time, though I'm sure you come across a pleasant surprise every now and then.
The way you send your letters will determine one impression or another on the receiver. You need to keep in mind that the letter should reflect what you are trying to convey, so it is important to keep several etiquette factors in mind.
What to keep in mind when writing and sending a letter?
Letter format. If it is a formal document, the letter must be typed, if it is informal it may be handwritten, as this is considered to be more personal. We must try to ensure that the letter always maintains a uniform font, color and size; and especially, you should avoid sending letters with hard-to-read fonts (such as fancy fonts or with a lot of serif). The color must be the same throughout the letter if we want to achieve some seriousness; if we want to give expressiveness to the letter, we can use colors, you decide the degree of creativity you want to convey. Although this is obviously subject to the purpose of the letter (if it’s an invitation to a party, for example, it won’t hurt to have some variety in the lyrics).
Paper type. The type of paper you choose to use in your letter will also say a lot about you and your intentions. If it is a formal letter, it is best to use plain white paper; if it’s an informal letter or you intend to give a creative image of yourself, it’s a good idea to use colored or punched papers, imagination to power! In this section you will find various types of paper for writing letters.
Page layout. Make sure you leave the right margins so that you have a centered and tidy letter. Use a ruler if you think you won’t be able to do it by eye. Before you start writing, think about what you want to say, and how you are going to structure the information. The classic format of a letter consists, first of all, of a header formed by the date of today and a greeting intended for the recipient. The body of the letter is then written, where the main message was hosted. At the same time, the body must have its own structure, ensuring that ideas are connected in a coherent and meaningful way. Finally, a conclusion footer and a greeting are included, and as an optional possibility, a postdate.
Reference. If you are writing correspondence for work, it is helpful to use reference codes. It is not used frequently, but it makes the job easier when a particular department has to send the same letter to multiple recipients. For example: department name / year / letter number and department).
Receiver and sender. Perhaps it’s the most important part of the letter, as it’s what will get you (or not) to good port. Make sure you write the shipping address clearly, that it is well understood. Also write the sender's address on the back of the envelope, and line it gently with a pen; this is a correspondence trick so that both directions are not confused.
Why is it important to use mail if you are a business?
Sending correspondence as part of companies ’marketing strategy is a way to stand out from the competition you have chosen to save costs by using mailing services that often end up in our spam folder. Sending a letter to your customers will make them feel special and allow you to provide them with the personalized attention they appreciate.