This is a test.

This may seem to be a bit “out-of-the-box,” but I want to try something to see if it works, as I need your help. Many people may say it’s foolish to try and get people to respond to a newspaper column, but I believe once you read why I need your help, some of you will follow through with it. At least, that is my genuine hope.

Here’s the scenario. As the executive director of the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber, I have several ways in which we can get a message out to the member businesses in our 16 communities.

Weekly, we write an e-newsletter which goes out on Fridays and is like an abbreviated newspaper with 10-18 updates on events and activities happening in the area that weekend, or in the near future. The e-newsletter has more than 1,400 recipients.

We also have more than 500 followers of the SMMC Facebook page with the overwhelming majority of them being business leaders in our region.

Between just those two channels, we reach hundreds of our members, and we reach even more of them through monthly events, phone calls, committee meetings and more. Add it all up and we do a very nice job of staying connected with those in our network. But what about those who are not?

Though our network is large, and growing, there are still thousands of people we don’t reach with our messaging. As I’ve been keen to say over the last six months, “we are very good at converting the converted, but what about the non-converted?” That’s where this test comes into play.

The Times Record reaches more than 20,000 readers per day, some through subscriptions, some through copies purchased at convenience/grocery stores and some through copies that live in local restaurants, schools and business break rooms, being read by multiple people per day. Through this column, I am able to reach thousands of people that I can’t reach any other way.

With that, I need your help.

Our chamber of commerce is working on ways to attract more tourists and re-locators to our region. One major piece of this is our guest guide, called the Allure of the Coast. Many are familiar with it, as it can be found on many local business counters, in area hotels and at information centers, and we’ve produced it for decades. We mail out 5-10 information packets weekly and even more in the peak tourism times of May through October. The Allure of the Coast is the centerpiece of those information packets.

This year, we’re redesigning the piece. As the director, I have decided I want to take the publication in a new direction. I have a marketing team made up of some local marketing professionals and through our e-newsletter I have solicited feedback from chamber members on what they would like to see in the new guide.

The test is this: what do you want to see in this guide? What information do you find to be most useful when you’re traveling? Through our existing network, we have a pretty good idea of what our members think is most important, but what do our citizens find important?

Make no mistake about it, I’m asking for direct feedback from you. Good, bad or otherwise, I want to know what you think is needed in this guide, or if you are familiar with the Allure of the Coast, I want to know what you think is not useful that can be replaced.

What I can tell you is this: nothing is off limits to consider at this stage so give us your honest opinions. I can’t tell you that we’ll make all of the changes suggested, because likely there will be some opposing views on certain subjects. But I can tell you that every piece of feedback will be considered by the marketing team as we develop this re-design.

Lastly, when giving your feedback, we’re looking for what your opinion is, and not what you think the answer should be — if that makes sense. Please don’t say “a listing of all the restaurants” because you think that is a likely item we would include. I want to know, when you’re traveling with your family and friends, what do you like to know? Do you like hiking trails? Do you like shopping? Do you want insider tips for what to see? Do you want driving routes? Do you want maps? Do you want trip itineraries? Do you want theater, museums, service stations, school information, tide charts, transportation, or calendar of events info?

The easy answer to that is “yes, all of that.” Unfortunately, we can’t list everything about the area, so we need your help in prioritizing what is most important. No feedback should have more than 3-4 items per submission, that way we know what your priorities are.

The best way to submit your feedback to us is in writing. That way I can share your feedback in your own words. If you call the SMMC office and give us information over the phone, there is a good chance that no matter how good the notes we take are, we’ll never capture the spirit of what you want as clearly as the written word.

You can submit your feedback two ways: via email to either executivedirector@midcoastmaine.com or info@midcoastmaine.com. Or you can send us a written note at SMMC, P.O. Box 33, Brunswick, ME 04011.

I sincerely hope you take this opportunity to give us your feedback so we can use it to make our regional guide the best it can be. Bringing more people to our area helps all of the businesses and will help our area grow.

Thank you, in advance, for your help.