Question

Which salutation for a business letter is correct?

Answer 1

In a business letter or any formal letter you will traditionally use the salutation of. 

A. Dear Senator Smith, 


This is only slightly different from Dear Senator Smith   - however the comma is an important element grammatically that should be included in a formal letter. 

Answer 2

Unlike a personal or informal letter, which calls for a comma, a colon is used after the salutation when writing a formal business letter. Never use a semi-colon, em dash, or ellipsis.