In the simplest terms, a safelist is a members-only mailing list where all members have agreed to receive emails and ads from everyone else on the list.

Think of a safelist as a giant email marketing co-op. The benefit is that these members who have joined the safelist can then send their emails to other list members.

The majority of these emails are promotional or advertisements. Where does the term "safelist" originate? Well, a safelist is a list where members can safely post ads and messages which are not considered spam.

Spam is always unsolicited email. The act of joining a safelist indicates that you are agreeing to receive emails from the other members - and they are willing to receive emails from you.

Spamming doesn't work - it simply ends up in the trash. Safelists have been proven to be effective if you are looking to attract targeted prospects. This is because virtually everyone on a safelist is attempting to make a profit online.

This gives you literally thousands of potential prospects receiving your advertisement or promotion. There are some extraordinary benefits to belonging to a safelist. First of all, you are in direct touch with a targeted list of members who have usually paid to join, which means they are serious about marketing and they are serious about finding out about other services and goods.

Another benefit is that all emails are protected from being denounced as spam, as long as the rules of the list are followed. Some safelists give you unlimited space to send your emails.

This gives you a lot of room to explain your business in the kind of detail it deserves. Some safelist even offer you the ability to send graphics and text in HTML format.

Safelist messages are sent quickly, and included links to your websites have the potential to draw quality traffic within minutes - which translates into rapid sales. As an extra benefit, many safelists offer extra features, such as free software, tips and advice, and other benefits.

Web-based and Group-based Safelists There are basically two different types of safelists, web-based safelists and group-based safelists. Remember the basic function of joining a safelist: it allows you to send emails to a large database of members who have all agreed to receive your emails, which means your emails are not considered spam.

The difference is that in a web-based safelist, you first log onto their website, and then you send your email or advertisement directly from their server. Recipients of your emails automatically recognize safelists messages because they are sent from the safelist address.

Group-based safelists work by allowing you to send your emails through a special email address, which then distributes your email to all the members of the group. Again, each of these members has opted-in to the safelists, so your emails will never be accused of being spam.