The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Marketing Dashboard
If you’re a marketing professional, then you’ll know how important it is to have visibility into the performance of your campaigns. A marketing dashboard can provide that insight. It’s an invaluable tool for understanding what works, tracking progress against goals, and identifying areas for improvement.
This guide covers everything you need to know about marketing dashboards. We’ll discuss what they are, why you should create one, best practices for creating effective dashboards, and more! Read on for our ultimate guide!
An intro to the marketing reporting dashboard
A marketing reporting dashboard enables you to identify opportunities you may not have been aware of. But what is it actually? Why would you need it? Can you create it quickly using a template? We’ll answer all of these questions below.
What is a marketing dashboard?
A marketing dashboard is a performance management tool that displays a visual summary of marketing KPIs. It shows important information to help you achieve one or more objectives. This information is arranged in one place so you can easily monitor it at a glance.
Dashboards are ideally linked to real-time data sources. Generally, they display data in a summary fashion using charts, graphs, or “gauges” that look like a dashboard in a car.
Marketing dashboards should be designed for continuous monitoring. Other than that, the dashboards should be visible within the marketing department and other departments, as well as executives. This will help to facilitate accountability and the decision-making process.
Why you need marketing dashboards
Well, any one of these reasons below is good enough to start using them as part of your marketing analytics process:
- To see the big picture. The process of data analysis encourages you to look more closely at the data. This is like peeling an onion, with multiple layers of data to explore. Taking a close-up view of the data is important, but you also need to step back and see the big picture. A dashboard is one of the best ways to provide this “big-picture” view.
- To spot trends. Seeing the big picture helps you easily spot trends that can only be seen when data is seen in aggregate and over time. This helps you understand if something is a one-time event or a trend. If something bad happens over and over again, it might mean that you need to change what you’re doing.
- To compare metrics side by side. Dashboards show all the key metrics in one place, and this will help you make comparisons easily. If you only look at one piece of information, you might make the wrong decision. For example, if something looks good or bad by itself, it might not be as good or bad when you compare it to other things. A metric that seems troubling when viewed in isolation is perhaps less alarming when viewed alongside related metrics.
- To show accountability. People in the organization are often skeptical about how well marketing is doing. By using dashboards, the marketing team can show that they’re really helping the organization succeed. This benefit is perhaps the most important reason for marketing to adopt the use of dashboards with its analytics process, even if they are not needed for any other reason.
Can you use marketing dashboard templates?
Yes. Templates can make building a custom dashboard easier and faster.
Many websites and platforms offer downloadable templates for spreadsheet apps like Google Sheets or Excel. For example, you can download HubSpot’s marketing reporting dashboard template for free to get started quickly.
Many templates are also available for BI tools, such as Tableau, Looker Studio, and Power BI. Some vendor solutions like Cyfe, QlikView, or Datapine also offer customizable dashboard templates.
Now, what if… you don’t want to build dashboards yourself, either from scratch or using a template? You could hire a company to make a custom and high-quality dashboard for you. An example of such a company is Coupler.io. They offer a data analytics consulting service to handle advanced data management cases, such as creating auto-updating dashboards that display essential metrics to help you make data-driven decisions.
Types of marketing dashboards
Because there are a variety of marketing dashboards, it’s easier to separate them into two broad categories based on high-level functions: strategic and operations.
Strategic dashboards help with planning and making decisions, while operational dashboards help with tracking progress and seeing how well things are going. Some dashboards only focus on strategic planning or operations, but some do both.
Strategic marketing dashboards
These dashboards provide invaluable insight that helps to give direction to the marketing function. By displaying the “strategic” analytical results, these dashboards ensure your marketing team is doing the right things and investing its resources in the best possible way. This type of dashboard provides predictive analytics results that better equip your team for future success.
For example, a dashboard of this type may include the ability to accurately predict the conversion rates of future leads in your sales funnel. Thus, efforts can be focused on those customers most likely to show an interest, leading to quicker revenue growth overall.
Operations marketing dashboards
Operations marketing dashboards provide a valuable look into an organization’s digital presence. Unlike strategic dashboards that offer predictions, these dashboards are backward-looking.
The data is from numerous digital touchpoints, including the website, microsites, social media, and mobile. They are compiled so organizations can gain insight into the performance of each channel through metrics such as reach and impressions.
You will better understand the performance of each of those digital channels. Not only that, an overall integrated picture will help you understand trends or correlations. With these insights, you’ll have the info needed to make effective changes for better outcomes.
How to create marketing dashboards
Now, how do you actually create one? Here’s a step-by-step guide that simplifies the entire process making it easy to follow:
Step 1: Define your marketing dashboard KPIs
The first step to creating a marketing reporting dashboard is defining the KPIs you want to measure. Each KPI should be tied to a goal or objective of your marketing strategy, so it’s crucial to have that in mind before you begin.
There are many different metrics available for tracking marketing performance. These include engagement rate, cost per lead, conversion rate, etc. Focus on selecting KPIs relevant to your goals and ones that can easily be tracked using the tools at your disposal.
It is not a good idea to try to track every marketing metric on your marketing dashboard KPI. It would be best to start with just a few of the most important metrics and then add more over time as you get better at using analytics. The first set of metrics you select will likely lead you to other metrics you also want to track.
Additionally, when choosing KPIs to put on your dashboard, it is important to consider how they affect each other. This way, your dashboard will provide an accurate view of how marketing efforts are going.
Step 2: Select your marketing dashboard software
There are so many tools available for marketing analytics, for example:
- You can use Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics to track your website traffic and see how people use your site.
- There are also specialized tools, such as Kissmetrics and Mixpanel, which provide more granular reports on specific marketing metrics.
- Data visualization and BI tools, such as Tableau, Qlik, and Looker, can help you create customized dashboards that bring all your data together in one place.
Additionally, you can use a data automation platform like Coupler.io to automatically pull data from different sources into a Google Sheets or Excel file before creating a dashboard. This way, all the data you need for your dashboard will be in one place. Coupler.io also allows you to connect and visualize data from your source in Looker Studio.
It is important to take the time to research which tools will work best for your organization. Make sure you have all the needed features while still staying within budget. Also, consider how well the tool integrates with other existing systems in place, as well as whether it can be used for a long time as your business grows.
Step 3: Connect to data sources
The next step when creating your marketing dashboard is to connect to the relevant data sources. This includes collecting data from marketing automation and accounting software, as well as CRM platforms and web analytics programs. By connecting these data sources to your dashboard, you can access all the metrics you need for successful reporting.
For example, connecting to marketing automation and accounting systems enables you to calculate the cost of acquiring new customers. By understanding how much each customer costs you in terms of investment, you can more accurately measure how profitable a particular campaign is. Similarly, with CRM and web analytics connected to your dashboard, you can gain insights into how many qualified leads actually turn into sales for any given campaign.
The key is to make sure that the data you collect is accurate and has good quality. Also, it is important to have a way to connect to real-time data so that you can be sure that your collected data is always reliable.
Step 4: Add charts and graphs to your marketing dashboard
Now, it’s time to add charts and graphs to help visualize your marketing data in an easy-to-understand format.
Choose the right type of chart for each visualization. This will help you show the information in the best way possible. For example, a line graph can provide a great understanding if you want to show how performance varies over time. If you are looking at how different marketing campaigns compare to one another, bar graphs or pie charts may be better suited.
In addition to traditional charts and graphs, many dashboard tools offer interactive data displays. Adding interactivity into dashboards like sliders or dropdowns allows users to gain additional insight into their KPIs without needing additional queries or calculations.
There are a variety of ways to share your dashboard with other people.
Different tools let you share it in different ways. Some tools allow you to export your dashboard into various formats, such as PNG or PDF, so you can share it easily in an email or chat. Others offer the ability to embed the dashboard in a website or app.
The most important aspect is that your marketing dashboard can be easily accessed by people who need it. Only give access to those who need to see it for various tasks and purposes. Your data is important, so keep it safe. There’s no need to share it with the entire world. Just keep only those who require access informed on your chart analysis, marketing plans, and results.
Step 6: Improve your marketing analytics dashboard regularly
In order to ensure that your marketing dashboard remains useful, you should review it regularly and make any necessary adjustments. Look for anything that needs to be corrected or improved.
You should also make sure that all the information is accurate. As checking the accuracy of all the information is important in ensuring its reliability.
A metric is trending downward, and you don’t know why? Double-check its source before making decisions about what to do next.
Finally, remember that metrics alone can’t tell you everything—they have to be interpreted to gain meaningful insights. It may be worth hiring an experienced analyst who knows how to read data and interpret results accurately. That way, you can be sure you’re making the right decisions for your business.
The importance of an automated marketing dashboard
An automated marketing dashboard can be a huge time saver when it comes to refreshing your data on a specific schedule. Ensuring your data is regularly updated and accurately presented can benefit you and your team immensely — providing you with the information you need to plan and execute successful campaigns efficiently.
Fortunately, there are data analytics platforms, such as Coupler.io, that offer ETL automation. With Coupler.io, you can set up automatic data refresh with total convenience. You don’t even have to write code. This tool lets you focus on making good decisions about your marketing strategies without having to spend extra time and effort on manual updates.
How to create a fully automated marketing dashboard template with Coupler.io
Ready to create an automated marketing dashboard with ease? With Coupler.io, it’s easier than ever. Get started on your journey by signing up for a free Coupler.io trial account. Then, create a new Importer by selecting the source and destination apps.
Coupler.io allows you to collect and combine data from 60+ sources, such as Google Analytics, MailChimp, Salesforce, and many more. You can pick one of these popular data destinations: Google Sheets, Excel, or Google BigQuery.
Then you’ll go through the following steps:
Step 1. Set up a data source.
Select which data you want to export into your dashboard and configure optional filters if required.
Step 2. Configure a data destination.
Select a spreadsheet or a table where you want to load your source data.
Step 3. Schedule the refresh time.
This is when Coupler.io makes things smooth sailing. Choose a refresh interval, daily, hourly, or even up to every 15 minutes; whatever works best for you.
OK, almost done.
Now, connect the data destination with any visualization tool of your choice and start building the dashboard.
How marketing dashboard metrics can help your business succeed
The key to success with marketing dashboards lies in the ability to select the right metrics.
Focus on metrics that are closely related to your goals. You can achieve it by understanding what kind of data points will provide the most meaningful insights into how well you’re performing. For example, tracking clicks and impressions on a given ad campaign can help you gauge how effective it is at reaching the intended audience, while measuring web traffic and conversions can tell you how successful it is at generating leads and driving sales.
Overall, choosing the right metrics for your marketing dashboard helps you stay ahead of the competition and continually grow your businesses.
Coupler.io’s data analytics consulting service can help you identify the most critical metrics for your business and create a dashboard that focuses on those metrics. By doing so, you can be sure that you’re getting the most out of your dashboard.
Marketing dashboard examples
If you’re just getting started, it can be helpful to look at examples of marketing dashboards. This way, you’ll get an idea of what kind of data and metrics are needed for success.
Here are some examples to draw inspiration from:
PPC dashboard
A PPC dashboard is a type of marketing dashboard that focuses on metrics related to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, such as cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, and cost per acquisition (CPA). A PPC dashboard can help marketing teams to track progress toward PPC advertising goals and identify areas where performance could be improved.
SEO dashboard
An SEO dashboard is a way to track how well your website is doing in search engines like Google. It includes metrics such as how many people visit your website, where they come from, and what keywords they use. Metrics like these help you understand which parts of your website are working and which need improvement. This way, you can make sure more people find out about your business online.
eCommerce marketing dashboard
An eCommerce marketing dashboard is a very helpful tool for online sellers. The dashboards have information like how many people clicked on the store, how many bought something, how much money was made, and more. They help you stay on top of things with timely updates about your customers’ journeys so you can identify opportunities for improvement.
Web analytics dashboard
A web analytics dashboard lets you see how people find your website and what they do when they get there. The metrics that are typically included in a web analytics dashboard are traffic sources, most visited pages, page views, and bounce rates. By tracking these metrics, you can better understand how people interact with your website and make changes to improve it.
Marketing performance dashboard
Marketing performance dashboards are powerful tools that show whether your marketing efforts are successful. Capturing key metrics such as budget status, expenses, sales, and growth can give you a definite sense of whether or not you’re on the right track. Additionally, the dashboards highlight customer metrics like customer lifetime value (CLV) and customer retention rates— both invaluable answers to how productive your marketing really is. By combining all the critical data points in one marketing analytics dashboard, marketers can easily get a clear picture of their performance success and take the necessary measures for further optimization.
Social media marketing dashboard
Social media marketing is an effective way to reach wider audiences and increase brand awareness. It’s also a great way to engage with customers, build relationships, and drive leads.
With a social media marketing dashboard, you can track key metrics essential to understanding your campaigns’ performance. These include impressions, engagements, clicks, shares, followers, and reach. With this information, you can assess which campaigns have been successful and where to focus your efforts moving forward.
Digital marketing dashboard
A digital marketing dashboard is a powerful tool that helps marketers measure the success of their digital marketing campaigns. It also includes various metrics, such as visits, conversions, lead-to-customer ratios, and cost per acquisition (CPA). Additionally, it can be used to compare different channels and campaigns, such as social media marketing or email marketing. By tracking these metrics over time, you can gain a better understanding of how well your campaigns are performing and make necessary adjustments to improve results.
Email marketing dashboard
An email marketing dashboard is a tool used to measure the success of your email campaigns, as well as track key metrics. It typically includes metrics such as open rate, click-through rate (CTR), bounce rate, and unsubscribe rate.
Tracking data from an email marketing dashboard over time allows you to gain powerful insights into how your customers interact with your emails. For example, you can use the CTR metric to see which campaigns have higher engagement rates and identify opportunities to increase conversions. Additionally, you can monitor the bounce rate to understand which audience members are not finding your emails engaging.
Email marketing dashboards provide valuable feedback on your efforts, unlocking data-driven insights that help improve customer open rates and deepen engagement with your brand.
CMO marketing dashboard
The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) dashboard is the perfect at-a-glance answer to analyzing a wide range of marketing services, from social media and email to web performance and lead generation and more.
A CMO dashboard typically includes essential metrics such as website visits, engagement on social media, total revenue, rate of customer acquisition, and average revenue per customer. In addition, this dashboard may include a return on investments (ROI) metric. Together, these metrics can help CMOs succeed in providing a comprehensive analysis that enhances effective decision-making and proactive management strategies.
Affiliate marketing dashboard
Affiliate marketing dashboards are essential for businesses to monitor the success of affiliate campaigns. Metrics included in an affiliate marketing dashboard usually involve clicks, conversion rates, revenue, top affiliate partners, and more. For more on this, learn how you can build an affiliate marketing funnel.
Best practices for marketing dashboards
When creating your marketing dashboard, it’s a good idea to follow best practices whenever possible. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Select the right metrics. To get the best metrics for your marketing dashboard, think about who will be using it. What do they need to know? Which metrics are important for them to understand how well marketing is doing?
- Keep your dashboard simple. To accomplish this, focus on the important data and ensure that it is easy to understand. Do not add unnecessary design elements that could be confusing. Also, ensure the information is organized in an easy-to-follow way so people can quickly find what they need.
- Make your dashboard visually appealing. Colors play an important role when making your dashboard look nice. Symbols and icons can also help draw attention to important information and make your dashboard more appealing.
- Choose the right charts. The right visual tells a powerful story. It’s worth taking the time to understand which charts you need to use. For example, scatter plots can show how customers feel about a product and how much it costs. Columns can be used to show how successful a company was in getting new consumers interested.
- Facilitate easy collaboration and sharing. It is important to ensure everyone can work together and share ideas. This way, you can share ideas and stay focused on what needs to be done. Having a system where everyone can exchange ideas, data, and deliverables is important.
That’s it! You now know what to consider when creating your marketing dashboard. It’s time to put everything into action.
But if you need additional support in creating an optimized dashboard that fits your specific business needs, Coupler.io can help. With a tailored dashboard that showcases all the data relevant to your organization and campaigns, you’re ensuring thoughtful, informed decisions about the next steps for your strategies and goals.
Let us help you in creating a successful dashboard that brings all the pieces together to achieve all of your marketing objectives!
Finally, good luck! And thanks for reading.
