8 must-have metrics for your first digital marketing dashboard

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.

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.


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.


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.

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.

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


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.


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+

Also see:
Marketing momentum metrics and startup productivity
Topics: DashboardsKPIMarketing Analytics
Originally published November 9, 2015, updated Jun, 11 2019