Dashboards: They’re like the playlists of your business data. But instead of curating bangers, you’re lining up the metrics that keep your team moving and hitting their goals. In comes HubSpot — which allows you to put all of these metrics into one place easily. Let’s dive into why HubSpot dashboards are a must-have, how to build them, and examples tailored for different teams.
Why HubSpot Dashboards are Vital for Efficient Workflows
Picture this: 17 tabs open on your computer, trying to wrangle data from three different tools, and patience is wearing thin. Painful, right? Here’s why dashboards can be a game-changer:
- Highlights what matters most: HubSpot dashboards are customizable and zero in on the metrics your team actually cares about.
- Facilitates faster decision-making: With the right data front and center, you’re no longer digging through endless reports. Your team can act faster, smarter, and with way less stress.
Define your Dashboard’s Purpose
Building or selecting a dashboard starts with one key step: identifying your purpose. Before clicking into HubSpot, think about what you need to see every day. Are you tracking lead generation? Monitoring customer interactions? Analyzing website traffic? Knowing your objectives will help you focus on the most relevant data and which metrics to include.
HubSpot Dashboards: Build Your Own Playlist or Let HubSpot Be Your DJ?
Some people like to mix and match their own data, others just want a quick way to track what matters. With HubSpot dashboards, you can go full DJ mode or let HubSpot drop the beat for you.
1. Creating a Dashboard from Scratch
Starting with a blank canvas gives you the ability to prioritize the metrics that matter to you. This means you can track data that’s specifically aligned with your company’s objectives, rather than just relying on general key metrics.
- Choose your data sources – Contacts, Deals, Website Analytics — what is important to you and your business goals? Customization gives you the option to pull data from various sources that align with your goals.
- Add Custom Reports – HubSpot’s report builder lets you shape your data into clear, actionable visuals.Choosing a Pre-Built Dashboard Template
How to make most of a custom dashboard:
A great example of how customizable this process can be: Imagine you want to track social media engagement alongside event registrations for a particular campaign. You can pull data from social media platforms (likes, comments, new followers) and combine it with event registration data (number of sign-ups, attendance rates) in a single custom report. This allows you to have a full picture to see how your social efforts are driving engagement and interest in your events. Plus it allows you to make real-time adjustments as well.
2. Choosing a Pre-Built Dashboard Template
For those who needed to hit the ground running yesterday, HubSpot offers pre-built templates designed to track essential business metrics. These templates come with predefined reports and layouts, focusing on categories like sales performance, website activity, and customer service metrics.
The best part? You can get up and running in no time—set up and customized to your needs in an afternoon! These templates are a great starting point, giving you the flexibility to tweak and adjust as your business grows, ensuring that you’re always tracking the metrics that matter most to you.
Each template tells you what the purpose of it is when you click on it and gives you a list of the reports that will be included in this dashboard.
When should you use a pre-built template versus building from scratch?
Let’s say you’re using a marketing pre-built dashboard, and you notice that social media metrics aren’t included in the template — which is a significant part of marketing. In that case, you might opt to create a custom dashboard to incorporate the essential data. But if your needs are more standard and you’re simply looking to track only website traffic, a pre-built template might be the faster and easier choice.
Dashboard for Every Team: The Playlist that Gets Everyone in Sync
HubSpot offers dashboards designed to track the most important metrics for every team:
- Sales Dashboards: Monitor leads, conversions, and revenue to keep your pipeline on track.
- Marketing Dashboards: Get insights into campaign performance and audience engagement.
- Customer Service Dashboard: Track ticket volume, response times, and customer satisfaction.
Pro Tips to Keep Your Data Playlist Fresh
Once your dashboard is set up, make sure to follow these best practices:
- Focus on relevance: Avoid adding too many metrics. Stick to what’s necessary and relevant for your team and goals.
- Make it visual: Use charts and graphs to help your team quickly understand trends and insights.
- Automate updates: Set reports to refresh automatically or schedule regular summaries to be delivered to your inbox.
- Regularly review: As business goals evolve, so should your dashboards. Schedule regular reviews to make sure your dashboards stay relevant and useful.
That’s a Wrap! Your Dashboard Playlist is Ready to Rock
Dashboards in HubSpot are more than just a tool — they allow for smarter, faster decision-making across your business. You can create a unified view of the metrics that matter most. This allows your team to focus on what drives results and efficiently grows your business.
With the right data at your fingertips, you’ll have the most relevant information to make informed decisions and keep your team aligned with your goals. If you need help setting up or optimizing your HubSpot experience, our team at StitchDX — HubSpot partners — can guide you every step of the way. Reach out today and let’s unlock your team’s full potential with HubSpot’s dashboards.