Writing and delivering invitations to customers, potential customers, or colleagues to attend your important business-related occasions requires careful attention: While great opportunities lie therein, if done improperly, it can cause undesired results that it’s wise to avoid.
When you plan a launch, a professional conference, or even an Open Day at the office, naturally you want to make it special; you also know that its success and effectiveness depend on how many of your invitees show up.
Most of your invitees who receive your business invitation letter will attend your business occasion. A professional, attractive, and effective invitation will bring more guests, while a poorly worded, blah, or sloppy one at best misses its mark, and at worst harms your business reputation.
Imagine that you’re starting an English Enrichment Course business. You send 1,000 invitations to your grand opening. Immediately after their delivery, you’re horrified to discover an embarrassing grammar or spelling mistake…
The following guidelines will help you make your business invitation letter professional and effective:
(1) Personal attention – Although it requires a little more effort, it pays off. Start your invitation with the recipient’s first name, i.e., "Dear George," is far more effective than: "Dear Madam or Sir". We all like to read our names.
(2) Make it brief - People are busy; even if they already know you (or especially if they already know you…), they prefer a short, effective invitation that quickly answers the following questions: What? Where? When? Tell them, don’t tease them.
(3) Be creative - Think of a twist on the standard fare: Use humor¯something related to your business and that makes people smile.
(4) Offer an incentive - It shows that you understand that your invitees’ time is valuable. Invite them to a complimentary luncheon or enter them in a prize drawing. Incentives also serve to keep your guests there until the end.
(5) Set a convenient date - Plan your occasion as far ahead as possible, and you give your invitees more opportunity to keep the date open. Make sure there are no conflicting occasions that day (sports events, holidays, etc.).
(6) Deliver a printed invitation - So, it’s a little more effort, but again, it pays off. The more personal the touch, the more guests will attend.
(7) Reminders - People liked your invitation; however, now they’re swamped. Send an electronic copy of your invitation as a reminder seven and three days before the occasion, with the Subject line “Countdown to Acme luncheon - only three more days!”.
(8) Proofread it - Recheck your business invitation letter for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Let two others read it to find mistakes that you may have missed. We also recommended using professional grammar software that automatically proofreads your writing.
Learn more about how to write a business invitation letter and other useful documents by using an advanced grammar software.
© 2007 Gil Lavi. All Rights Reserved.