Business memos are written to inform or request action and act like business letters written internally. It is less formal than a letter, however, this is not permission or an excuse to make common spelling and punctuation errors or you will lose credibility.

The first paragraph should be a purpose statement that can be as simple as, "The purpose of this memo is to..." Then include a brief summary of the problem or need you are writing about. In the body of the memo expand on these two themes. Close with a list of action items.

For example:

March 15, 2008

To: Eastern Region Directors

From: Manager, Retail Sales

Re: Sales Up 22% This Quarter

The purpose of this memo is to inform you of our recent sales performance. This quarter, sales have increased 22% over the same quarter last year. We saw marked improvement across all product lines and expect this trend to continue.

Markdowns were reduced this quarter by using strong inventory controls. Please continue to focus attention on inventory controls and proper purchasing levels to continue with this strong performance.

We did notice an increase in shrinkage of 8% over the same quarter last year. Please inform your stores to increase security during the brisk summer sales cycle to reduce shrinkage. Please also have all of your employees take the new web based training on shrinkage.

Thanks again for a great quarter - keep up the good work!

cc: R. E.

Steps

1. Fill out the header information. State clearly who the memo is to, from, the date, and what the memo is regarding.

2. Begin with why the recipient is receiving the memo. State the purpose of the memo very clearly.

3. State any actions you need the recipient to perform and when you need them performed by.

4. Close with any follow up items required from the recipients.