Scenario: In Week 3, you selected a product or service that you believe your organization should invest capital resources to develop the product or service for sale. To speed up the new product investment, you decide to write a memo proposing and advocating for the launch of a new product or service to the company president.
Create a memo proposal using the AIDA model in a Microsoft® Word in a minimum of 1,400 words. You will add an introduction and conclusion, and your paper will include the following components:
- Convince your audience to invest capital resources to develop the product or service you intend to sell and explain your rationale. See Figure 9.5 – Persuasive Message Using AIDA model.
- Gain credibility (for yourself and your request) and (2) to make your readers believe that helping your product/service will indeed benefit the company. Close with a request for some specific action, and make that course of action as easy to follow as possible to maximize the chances of a positive response.
- Include secondary research to support your argument, related to your product and/or service.
- Explain what you will do in case the selected product or service does not initially sell as much as expected.
- Indicate potential digital channels for marketing your product or service.
- Consider cross-cultural and multinational implications.
Note: Main points from this memo will be included in the Week 5 Persuasive Presentation.
The following guidelines will help you effectively format specific memo elements, Business Communication Essentials, 7/e (Pg. 410):
- Addressees. When sending a memo to a long list of people, include the notation See distribution list or See below in the position at the top; then list the names at the end of the memo. Arrange this list alphabetically, except when high-ranking officials deserve more prominent placement. You can also address memos to groups of people–All Sales Representatives, Production Group, New Product Team.
- Courtesy titles. You need not use courtesy titles anywhere in a memo; first initials and last names, first names, or even initials alone are often sufficient. However, use a courtesy title if you would use one in a face-to-face encounter with the person.
- Subject line. The subject line of a memo helps busy colleagues quickly find out what your memo is about, so take care to make it concise and compelling.
- Body. Start the body of the memo on the second or third line below the heading. Like the body of a letter, it’s usually single-spaced with blank lines between paragraphs. Indenting paragraphs is optional. Handle lists, important passages, and subheadings as you do in letters.
- Writer’s initials. Unlike a letter, a memo doesn’t require a complimentary close or a signature, because your name is already prominent at the top. However, you may initial the memo–either beside the name appearing at the top of the memo or at the bottom of the memo.
Format consistent with APA guidelines.
GUIDELINE
Memos
Electronic media have replaced most internal printed memos in many companies, but you may have occasion to send printed memos from time to time. These can be simple announcements or messages, or they can be short reports using the memo format.
On your document, include a title such as MEMO or INTEROFFICE CORRESPONDENCE (all in capitals) centered at the top of the page or aligned with the left margin. Also at the top, include the words To, From, Date, and Subjectfollowed by the appropriate informationwith a blank line between as shown here:
MEMO
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Sometimes the heading is organized like this:
MEMO
TO: FROM:
DATE: SUBJECT:
The following guidelines will help you effectively format specific memo elements:
Addressees. When sending a memo to a long list of people, include the notation See distribution list or See below in the To position at the top; then list the names at the end of the memo. Arrange this list alphabetically, except when high-ranking officials deserve more prominent placement. You can also address memos to groups of peopleAll Sales Representatives, Production Group, New Product Team.
Courtesy titles. You need not use courtesy titles anywhere in a memo; first initials and last names, first names, or even initials alone are often sufficient. However, use a courtesy title if you would use one in a face-to-face encounter with the person.
Subject line. The subject line of a memo helps busy colleagues quickly find out what your memo is about, so take care to make it concise and compelling.
Body. Start the body of the memo on the second or third line below the heading. Like the body of a letter, its usually single-spaced with blank lines between paragraphs. Indenting paragraphs is optional. Handle lists, important passages, and subheadings as you do in letters.
Second page. If the memo carries over to a second page, head the second page just as you head the second page of a letter.
Writers initials. Unlike a letter, a memo doesnt require a complimentary close or a signature, because your name is already prominent at the top. However, you may initial the memoeither beside the name appearing at the top of the memo or at the bottom of the memo.
Other elements. Treat elements such as reference initials and copy notations just as you would in a letter. One difference between letters and memos is that while letters use the term enclosure to refer to other pieces included with the letter, memos usually use the word attachment.
Memos may be delivered by hand, by the post office (when the recipient works at a different location), or through interoffice mail. Interoffice mail may require the use of special reusable envelopes that have spaces for the recipients name and department or room number; the name of the previous recipient is simply crossed out. If a regular envelope is used, the words Interoffice Mail appear where the stamp normally goes, so that it wont accidentally be stamped and mailed with the rest of the office correspondence.
Informal, routine, or brief reports for distribution within a company are often presented in memo form. Dont include report parts such as a table of contents and appendixes, but write the body of the memo report just as carefully as youd write a formal report
