Telling different stories to different audiences

There are over 2 million* businesses in Australia. Broadly, in terms of the number of staff, they fall under four categories (refer graph). The top of the pyramid is represented by large corporations with staff of more than 200 and comprising about 0.3% of total businesses in Australia. Medium size companies, with staff numbering between 20-199, accounts for 11.3% of the market. The bulk of businesses are small and falls under two categories – small firms (4-10 staff) who accounts for 11.3% of the market, and micro enterprises (0-4 staff) forms the majority 84.5%.

Factor in geographical location, regional nuances, industry category, corporate turnover and profitability, the different professional groups employed within a firm, and corporate culture and we have a large market of heterogeneous businesses with different needs; each managing its human capital and recruitment differently. How a business with 10 staff and another with 500 staff will view a product or service will vary widely. As a result, the story each of the 2,011,770 businesses in Australia wishes (or need) to hear is different.

So, why do we tell the same story to different businesses with different needs? Who are you telling your story to? What stories are you telling?

It seems to me there is a crisis of ‘story-telling’ (I discussed the topic with Jo Knox at Recruiterdaily). In the coming days, I’ll explore more about the topic. Meanwhile, understanding the different audiences in Australia is a good start.

(*Source:ABS 2007. Graph: @Destination Talent)