Knowing where to collect subscribers and thinking about what to send ultimately requires knowing the audience you're targeting and your own goals.

Most online businesses target at least three distinct groups of customers:

• Readers These are usually blog subscribers or similar: they are not yet customers but are interested in your offering and your marketing.
• New customers or free trials These are customers that are embracing their first experience with your business. They are not yet regular or long-term customers.
• Regular customers These are customers that have purchased before and are fully engaged with your business.

When it comes to email, getting customers to subscribe usually begins with the first group.

Most businesses will get their customers' email addresses as part of checkout, signup or other transactions so we're going to break the following tips around firstly getting new subscribers and, secondly, brainstorming trigger-based events and newsletter schedules for those subscribers in your ecosystem.

Know your target customer!