8 must-have metrics for your first digital marketing dashboard

Jonathan Taylor

In my opinion, the most difficult step in creating a killer digital marketing dashboard is starting, aka, step 1. Taking the first step on your dashboard journey, thankfully, doesn't have to be hard or even time intensive. In this post, I'm outlining the 8 must-have digital marketing KPIs for your first dashboard.

I've chosen 8 marketing metrics from our Klip Gallery which have a) been vetted by our dashboard design team, b) been developed with the help of some top-notch marketing teams, and c) will help you realize value very, very quickly. All you need to get started is a Klipfolio account, which you can set up for free.

Your first digital marketing dashboard

Before we dive into the individual Klips, let's take a look at the final product. Learn how dashboards work.

Digital Marketing Dashboard | First Dashboard Example

View the live version of this dashboard

My aim in designing this dashboard was to provide a survey of the services and marketing metrics you should be tracking. This dashboard isn't designed to be a comprehensive, in-depth overview; rather, it's designed to be a working proof of concept of what you can accomplish with data dashboards, which, in effect, is gaining visibility into all your core metrics.

Google Analytics + Salesforce

I'm likely preaching to the choir but... the conversion funnel is a key metric for any digital marketing dashboard because it shows how well you attract visitors to your website and, in turn, convert them into leads and paying customers. To build this metric, you will need to use a data mashup that consists of data from Google Analytics and Salesforce. Learn more about Salesforce Dashboards

1. Conversion Funnel

Combine data from Google Analytics and Salesforce to gain insight on how prospects advance through your marketing funnel.

first Digital Marketing Dashboard | Conversion Funnel

HubSpot

Marketing automation tools like HubSpot provide digital marketers with the ability to fine tune online campaigns like never before. Learn more about HubSpot Dashboards

2. Revenue This Month

Track your total revenue this month, and compare it to last month and your revenue growth rate.

first Digital Marketing Dashboard | Revenue This Month

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is an essential tool for understanding how people are coming to your website and what their experience on your website is like. Learn more about Google Analytics Dashboards

3. Traffic Sources, Last 30 Days

Displays the top online sources generating traffic for your website.

first Digital Marketing Dashboard | Web Traffic Sources

4. Website Performance, Last 30 Days

Shows your Average Bounce Rate, Average Pageviews, New Sessions, and Average Time on Site for the last 30 days.

Google AdWords

With tools like AdWords, you have the ability to monitor the performace of your advertising campaigns in near real-time. Yes, this is possible – don't let your agency's "monthly" reports fool you! AdWords ROI and cost per conversion data is within your reach. Learn more about AdWords Dashboards

5. Advertising Return on Investment (ROI)

Compare conversion values and costs to see ROI. Calculations will be dependent on having conversion values in Google AdWords. Also see return on marketing investment.

first Digital Marketing Dashboard | Advertising Return on Investment (ROI)

6. Cost-per-Conversion

Compare your cost-per-conversion to typed-in targets, or delete targets to compare to the previous period.

first Digital Marketing Dashboard | Cost-per-Conversion

MailChimp

Platforms like MailChimp put you in control of your email campaigns to stay in contact with your subscribers and leads. Learn more about MailChimp Dashboards

7. Email List Performance

Monitor your Open, Click, and Unsubscribe rates as well as your List Ratings from MailChimp.

first Digital Marketing Dashboard | Email List Performance

Social Media Platforms

No digital marketing dashboard would be complete without touching on social media. I've already shown you how to build a social media dashboard in a previous post, so instead I wanted to round out this dashboard with a simple social metric that gives you a window into your overall digital marketing performance.

8. Social Media Followers

Track how many followers you have on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Google+