Google’s Bitter-Suite Announcement
It’s been a long time coming, but Google has finally announced it will force free G Suite accounts to paid plans, starting in May. Launched back in 2006, the service allowed businesses and schools to set up custom domains for use with Google’s popular Gmail services for free. All users will be transitioned to equivalent Google Workspace accounts based on usage patterns. Plans start at $6-per-month for each user and go all the way up to $18-per-month/user.
If you’re upset by the news, Microsoft is here to comfort you with a conveniently-time promotion: The rival tech company is offering all G Suite Users a 60% discount on a 12-month Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, or Business Premium subscription, along with the help you need to make the move.
So if you’re one of the many people still using the free G Suite option for family or business email accounts on a custom domain, it looks like the only option is to start paying or move to competitors like Microsoft 365.
The Future of Snail Mail
With so many ways to market a business online nowadays, I still think there’s value to promoting your business the old-fashioned way: direct mail marketing. Not only is direct mail a cost-effective way to get your brand’s message and offer directly in front of your prospects and customers, but also response rates are 5.3% and 2.9% for mail sent to houses and prospect lists, respectively, while email has a response rate of 0.6% and an average click-through rate of 2% or 3%..
Want to Incorporate direct mail into your marketing campaign, without the hassle of printing, sealing, stamping, or even stepping foot in a post office? Check out DocuPost: A platform that allows you to send USPS letters, documents, invoices and more – all from your computer. Simply upload your document, or use one of their pre-made templates, and from there Docupost will handle the printing, stamping and mailing. There’s, no long-term contracts, just simple pay-as-you-go pricing, starting at 75¢/mail piece.
Want to see Docupost in action? Send me an email, and I’ll forward you Archway’s latest Postcard, straight to your (physical) inbox.
Ain’t’ No Party like a Pasta Party
Pasta-lovers, this one’s for you. Past is truly the ultimate comfort food. And as someone with Celiac’s disease, I was always incredibly thankful that the gluten-free store-bought variety is just as available and satisfying as your average pasta. That is, until I learned the secret to the world’s BEST pasta, gluten-free or not: Homemade pasta. My Daughter has been making her own pasta from scratch with her pasta maker for years, and recently clued me in to how easy and delicious it is to make it at home:
(Trigger Warning: I am not talian, nor have I ever claimed to be.)
To make your pasta noodles, you really only need these 4 items:
- Eggs
- Flour (Normal or Gluten-Free)
- Olive Oil
- Pasta Maker
Check out this simple tutorial to make your noodles here, and then sauce as you’d like! Some of my favorites recipes are this Pomodoro and Ricotta and Sausage, but the beauty of pasta is there is truly no wrong answer. Prego!
The Last Word
I hope you all enjoyed this week’s installment of Brad’s Blog! As always, thank you for continuing to support the newsletter. It’s hard to believe I have been in some of your inboxes for the past 10 years! To my newer readers, welcome to the party. Enjoy the rest of your 4-day work week, and wishing you a great weekend.