APAC Marketers' Meetup: Turning Side Hustles into Success Stories

Turning Side Hustles into Success Stories with Victoria Devine

Ever wondered how to turn your side hustle into a thriving business or take your successful small business to the next level?

At the recent APAC Marketers’ Meetup, Victoria Devine, the business powerhouse behind Australia’s #1 Money Podcast, "She’s on the Money", shared her journey and the proven marketing strategies, tools and technologies that helped build two multi-million-dollar businesses from scratch.

With 30 million podcast downloads, a loyal community of 1.2m listeners every month, and three best-selling books, She’s on the Money is an inspirational SMB growth story. With her engaging storytelling, Victoria demonstrates how to build a devoted community and turn limited resources into limitless potential, providing practical advice to help SMB owners navigate small biz life.

Ready to take your business up a notch? Let’s dive in!

Turning followers into customers – social media vs email

Your audience on social media is borrowed, whereas your email list is owned.

It’s risky to rely solely on social media, as platform changes, algorithm shifts or account restrictions can cause businesses to lose access to their audience without warning. Most SMBs start with a Facebook or Instagram page, which is great. However, transitioning those followers to customers and ensuring you can market to them outside social media is essential for maintaining control of relationships.

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Social feeds are also noisy, so achieving cut-through and organic reach can be challenging, compared to average email open rates of at least 30%. You’re not only more likely to reach your audience with an email, but they’re likely to be more engaged because it was an active decision to open your content.

Inbox to income – the power of email

Email marketing continues to be a cornerstone of small business growth in 2025. According to Constant Contact’s Small Business Now report, 53% of small business owners across Australia, the U.S., U.K. and Canada relied on email marketing most frequently to attract new customers and retain loyal ones in 2024, a trend that is expected to strengthen.

With more than 4.48 billion global email users in 2024 and over 361 billion emails sent daily (Statista), email remains one of the most direct, dependable and high-engagement marketing channels. Unlike social media, it is unaffected by shifting algorithms or platform uncertainty, giving SMBs full ownership of their audience and outcomes.

Owning your audience: It’s easier than you think to build a list

Consider your plan if access to Instagram or TikTok was lost tomorrow. What other platforms are you using, and how else can you communicate effectively with customers? If you haven’t already, start bringing your social followers into a contact database you own and control. And if you sell your business, it's an asset that adds value to your sale price.

Acknowledging that many SMB owners may feel overwhelmed at the thought of building an email list, Victoria shared several simple ways to start, grow and use one effectively, even if you don’t have a website. Low or no-cost ways include:

• Simple sign-up forms in Instagram bios

• Posting call-to-actions on social media or live posts

• Offering incentives like free downloadable content

The key to growing an email list is making people feel special for being part of it. You don’t need to build a raft of resources; start building your list regardless of where you’re at. The audience doesn’t necessarily need something for free; just knowing they’re getting VIP or priority treatment will make them want to sign up, so it's your job to nurture that relationship.

The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll build your audience.

The email mix to keep people engaged and ready to buy

Statista reports that 65% of marketers are now sending subject lines that are personalised to the recipient. Victoria’s community is one of the most important parts of her business, but she sees many businesses make the mistake of only sending sales emails.

Consider why you love a brand – is it because they’re constantly pushing product sales? Probably not. It’s more likely that you feel connection and trust, so you’re more compelled to buy from them.

Both evergreen and timely emails have their place. Evergreen emails remain relevant over time, while timely emails are specific to current events or promotions. You could create a welcome email sequence (evergreen) to introduce new subscribers to the brand, then cover various topics (think education, FAQs or brand story) over the series, with additional valuable timely emails dropped in as relevant. Evergreen sequences save significant time and help build trust in the community.

Segmentation in email marketing is also critical to sending more relevant emails and reducing the chance of ending up in spam. It’s simple to achieve with a digital marketing platform like Constant Contact, with automated checking and tagging for use later to personalise content. You can also regularly clean your email list by proactively removing subscribers who haven’t opened in a specific timeframe.

AI for small business owners

AI is seen as an excellent tool for research and generating content ideas, but your tone of voice must be maintained for authenticity. Think of AI as the new office intern, able to provide ideas and suggestions but still learning and certainly not ready to communicate directly with clients.

Measure success

It’s crucial to have well-defined business goals, a clear understanding of what success is, and a strong grasp of data. Your objectives could be sales, brand awareness, community growth or something else, but tracking metrics like website traffic, email sign-ups and conversion rates helps determine the effectiveness of your marketing.

Using A/B testing to see what messages resonate and testing products through free marketing can also help validate decisions. Again, a digital marketing platform like Constant Contact will simplify this.

Key takeaways

Owning your audience, building a community and providing value through personalised communication are critical for SMB success. There are many simple and practical ways to build an email list at low or no cost, and once you’ve done so, make people feel special for being part of it.

Email marketing should be the foundation of any SMB marketing strategy as it offers higher engagement rates than social media, more personalised communication and stronger connections. Relying solely on social media is risky, as platforms can change or disappear overnight.

By consistently communicating with audiences and building trust, SMB owners can nurture their community and grow their businesses.

Remember, as a leader and business owner, you have the power to write your own success story. Make it count.