If you're running campaigns across a bunch of platforms—Google Ads, Facebook, email, maybe even some old-school print—you know measuring what’s working isn’t as simple as “did sales go up?” This guide is for marketers, analysts, and anyone tired of bouncing between messy spreadsheets, trying to figure out if TikTok is worth the spend, or if your newsletter’s actually moving the needle.
Let’s get practical about using Mylighthouse dashboards to track multi channel campaign performance. No vague best practices. Just honest advice on what works, what to skip, and how to spend less time staring at numbers and more time doing work that matters.
1. Start With One Clear Question
Before you even touch a dashboard, ask: What do I actually want to know?
It sounds basic, but most people skip this and end up drowning in vanity metrics. Are you trying to prove ROI for your boss? Figure out which channel brings the most qualified leads? Or see if your creative changes made a difference?
Pro tip: Write your question down. Seriously. “Which channel brings the cheapest conversions?” or “Did our brand campaign move direct traffic?” Build your dashboard around the answer to that.
2. Map Out Your Channels and Data Sources
Multi channel means… well, multiple headaches. List every platform and tool you’re using:
- Paid: Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.
- Owned: Email, SMS, website, app, print
- Earned: PR, influencer, referral
For each, note:
- What data can you get? (Clicks, cost, conversions, impressions, revenue…)
- How often can you get it? (Real-time, daily exports, weekly reports?)
- How trustable is it? (Facebook’s “unique reach” is always suspicious.)
Some channels will play nice with Mylighthouse out of the box. Others might need a manual upload or a workaround. Don’t assume everything will sync perfectly—write down the gaps now.
3. Set Up Consistent Naming Conventions and UTM Parameters
If you’re not using proper naming and tracking, your dashboard will be garbage in, garbage out. Period.
For digital campaigns:
- Use standardized UTM parameters on every link. (E.g., utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=spring_sale)
- Pick a naming convention and stick to it. Don’t mix “FB” and “facebook” and “Meta Ads” in your data.
For offline channels: - Use unique promo codes, QR codes, or dedicated landing pages to track responses.
Why bother? Because nothing tanks a dashboard faster than having “Google” and “google_cpc” show up as two separate rows. You’ll spend hours cleaning up data instead of analyzing it.
4. Integrate Your Data Into Mylighthouse
Now, get your data flowing into Mylighthouse:
- Use built-in connectors. Mylighthouse has integrations for the big platforms. Use them whenever you can—they’re less error-prone.
- For unsupported sources: You’ll need to upload CSVs or connect via API. It’s a pain, but do it right once, and you’ll thank yourself later.
- Set up scheduled refreshes. If your data isn’t updating automatically, you’re not seeing the real story. Automate what you can.
Pro tip: Test your data flow. Run a fake campaign or send test clicks. Make sure everything lands where it should in Mylighthouse before you go live.
5. Build Dashboards That Answer Real Questions
Mylighthouse gives you tons of widgets and charts. That doesn’t mean you need to use them all.
Focus on: - Channel performance side by side. (Not just “Google” or “Facebook” in isolation.) - Cross-channel funnels. (How users move from awareness to conversion. Tricky, but powerful.) - Cost vs. outcomes. (What are you paying per lead or sale on each channel?)
What to skip: - Pie charts of “impressions by channel.” Impressions are vanity unless you’re running a pure awareness campaign. - Clicks without context. Who cares if your CTR is high if nobody’s buying?
Layout advice: - Top section: The one metric that answers your main question. - Middle: Channel-by-channel breakdown. - Bottom: Details or diagnostics (like creative performance, audience segments, etc.)
Pro tip: Less is more. If it’s not helping you make a decision, hide it.
6. Watch Out for Attribution Pitfalls
Here’s where things get messy. Attribution models (last click, first touch, linear, etc.) all have flaws. Mylighthouse will let you pick or customize them, but don’t expect magic.
What actually works: - Use last click for simple, transactional journeys (e.g., ecommerce with short buying cycles). - Try position-based or data-driven models if you’ve got a longer funnel. - Stay skeptical: If Facebook says it drove 100 sales, but Google Analytics says 40, don’t just average them. Dig into why.
Offline and multi-device tracking? Almost always incomplete. Track what you can, but don’t pretend gaps aren’t there.
Pro tip: Pick one main attribution model for reporting. Footnote the rest. Otherwise you’ll spend all day arguing about whose number is “right.”
7. Automate Alerts—But Tune Out the Noise
Set up alerts in Mylighthouse for big swings (like “cost per lead spiked 30% this week” or “email sign-ups dropped by half”). But don’t let yourself get pinged for every blip—false alarms are exhausting.
What’s worth an alert: - Major drops in conversions or leads - Big jumps in cost per acquisition - Channel completely stops reporting
What’s not: - Minor daily changes (that’s just noise) - Vanity metrics like impressions or reach
Check your dashboard at set times—don’t let it become a distraction.
8. Review, Discuss, and Iterate
The best dashboards spark action, not just admiration. Don’t just build it and forget it.
- Share your dashboard with your team, not just your boss.
- Use it in campaign reviews—ask, “What did we actually learn?”
- Tweak your metrics and visuals as you go. If nobody’s looking at a chart, kill it.
Pro tip: Schedule a monthly “dashboard clean-up.” Remove what’s not useful. Add what’s missing. Keep it lean.
What’s Overrated (And What Actually Matters)
You’ll hear a lot of noise about “AI-powered insights” and “360-degree views.” Don’t get distracted by features you don’t need.
- Don’t obsess over perfect data. There will always be blind spots. Good enough is usually enough.
- Ignore metrics you can’t act on. If you can’t change it, don’t report on it.
- Focus on trends, not one-day spikes. It’s the pattern that matters, not the outlier.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Multi channel campaign tracking isn’t about showing off fancy dashboards. It’s about knowing what’s working, fixing what’s not, and moving faster next time. Start small, focus on the metrics that matter, and keep improving your setup as you learn.
And remember: Most of your competition is still stuck in spreadsheet hell. You’ve already got a leg up just by getting the basics right.