How To Create A Memorandum

A business memo is one of the primary ways you can communicate information to all employees in your organization. Memos are intended to be a fast and effective way to distribute information, and they may include an important executive summary that breaks down the memo's vital points.

In this article, we talk about what a business memo is, explain how to write a business memo, and show a template and two examples that can help you write one for your own company.

Read more: 5 Steps for Great Business Writing (With Tips)

What is a business memo?

A business memo is a short yet formal document used for communication between employees. Memos are brief, effective and easy to navigate. They can serve a similar role as a press release, but the exception is the document is primarily for internal use instead of for local and national reporters. Examples of memos your business may need include changes to personnel within an organization or updates on company gatherings like holiday parties or meetings.

Read more: Understanding the Basics of Strategy Development

How to write a business memo

Follow these steps to help you write your next business memo:

List the purpose of the memo in the introductory paragraph.
Be concise and keep the language positive throughout.
Communicate the message of the memo in the subject line.
Use the body paragraph and conclusion to break down your information.

1. List the purpose of the memo in the introductory paragraph

Readers should know instantly what you're communicating to your audience in the introductory paragraph. You need to craft the content of your memo to address questions that employees may have. List the purpose of the memo before expanding on details about the decision-making or what led to the current situation. This way, you give a chronological series of events to give more clarity about the actions employees need to take, if any.

2. Be concise and keep the language positive throughout

Since you're writing this memo to coworkers and managers you interact with daily, keep language positive. Short and clear sentences using active voice help you get your purpose across, which can increase your credibility with your colleagues.

3. Communicate the message of the memo in the subject line

The subject line should tell the reader exactly what they should expect to learn from the memo and give them direction on where to file it in their email folders. For example, a budget update for the marketing department helps the readers understand the subject of the memo and previews potential actions that affect the department and its operations going forward.

4. Use the body paragraph and conclusion to break down your information

The body paragraph elaborates on the decision the company is announcing and how it affects each employee going forward. You want to address potential feelings for employees, but you need to do it in a way that's relatable to staff members. Express your gratitude for their hard work and your plan to work with employees to navigate recurring changes.

Read more: 10 Communication Skills: Definitions and Examples

Business memo template

Review this business memo template when planning your own:

Memo Template

Image description

Business memorandum

Date: Current month, day, year

To: Names of employees within the organization

From: Your first and last name, and your official business title

Subject: Subject related to the business

Body: Begin with listing the reasoning for why you're writing this memo on the company's behalf. The ideal length is one sentence, but it can be two sentences at the most. Next, you need to provide the necessary details about what all employees, from executives down to entry-level employees, need to know about these latest developments with the company. Explain if this memo is a response or a follow-up to previously written communication sent by the company.

State your conclusion regarding your memo here, but you can use this section to identify potential reactions from employees and the plans your company aims to take that's supplemental to the points above. If you need employees to act on this memo or reach out to a specific point-person, list this information here as well.

Thank you,

First and last name
Company email address
Company phone number

If applicable, you can list an attachment that supports the decision being announced in the memo. You may need to coordinate an all-staff meeting to explain the memo, in which case you can present those attachments in person instead.

Downloadable Business Memo Template
To edit the template in Google Docs, go to File > Open > Upload > and select the correct file from your device.

Read more: Guide To Memo Writing with Tips and Examples

Business memo examples

The following is a sample business memo you can use as a guide for your next document:

Memo Template

Image description

Product Launch Update for the GHY Computer

Date: Dec. 17, 2020

To: All Employees

From: Jason Saxon, Vice President of Marketing

Subject: Product Launch Update for the GHY Computer

Considering the responses we've received over the past three months from product testers and customer surveys, I am writing to inform you that the product launch for the GHY Computer will be delayed from its initial date of Jan. 2, 2021, to April 2, 2021.

We believe that the extra time to test the computer's capability with updated software programs will serve to help the customer in expanding their usage of software to perform daily tasks. Some employees have expressed a belief that this delay will lead to an increase in competitors' sales, so the organization has decided to sell our current computers at a 30% discounted rate up until the computer's launch while offering holiday sales of 50% up through the new year. Sales representatives can share this information with current customers and leads.

The marketing department will keep the organization posted on new updates. We understand that this change may affect the revenue and profits generated by the sales team. Managers have the authorization to drop the current sales targets for Q4 and work with representatives on retaining current customers to provide customer service when needed.

While this delay is unfortunate news for all of us, we believe in the promise of our employees to rebound from this and thrive during the 2021 fiscal year. We believe our current clients will stay committed to us despite this news.

Thank you,

Jason Saxon
jsaxon@ghycomputers.com
458-983-6470

Downloadable Memo Example
To edit the example in Google Docs, go to File > Open > Upload > and select the correct file from your device.

Here is another sample business memo you can use as a guide for your next document:

Memo Template

Image description

North Star Lighting
December 17, 2019

To: All Employees

From: Avery Anderson, Manager of Product Marketing

Subject: Lauren Riley's Retirement

I am writing this message to inform you that Lauren Riley will be retiring from North Star Lighting, effective March 1, 2020. Lauren has been a dedicated employee of North Star Lighting, serving more than three decades with the company, eight of them as vice president of sales.

We feel that Lauren has given us her all during her tenure, and we appreciate her efforts in helping the sales team expand from 20 to 40 employees.

We know that this will be a transition for all of us and the company is in the process of hiring her replacement, which will be difficult, given her big shoes to fill. On a celebratory note, we are planning on throwing her a retirement party, so stay tuned for a message from me on that.

I encourage you to stop by Lauren's office to congratulate her on this well-deserved accomplishment. Thank you again, Lauren, for all of your hard work.

Sincerely,
Avery
Avery Anderson
aanderson@northstarlighting.com
(458) 317-1234

Downloadable Sample Memo
To edit the sample memo in Google Docs, go to File > Open > Upload > and select the correct file from your device.