If you’re running B2B campaigns and tired of clicking through six tabs and three spreadsheets just to answer “How’s it going?”—this guide is for you. Flashintel’s dashboards are supposed to fix this, but only if you set them up right. Here’s how to build dashboards that actually help you track campaign performance—no fluff, no vendor hype.
1. Get Clear on What You Need to Track
Before you even log in, decide why you’re making a dashboard. Don’t let the software dictate your process—pick what matters to you.
Start with questions like: - Which campaigns do I need to track, and for whom? (e.g., sales team, execs, yourself) - What’s the one thing I want to know at a glance? (Leads? Pipeline? ROI?) - What data do I trust, and what’s just noise?
Pro tip: If you can’t explain your dashboard’s purpose in a sentence, you’ll end up with a confusing mess. Less is more.
2. Set Up Your Flashintel Account and Integrate Data
You can’t build dashboards from thin air. First, make sure all the right data is flowing into Flashintel.
Connect Your Data Sources
- CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, or whatever you use. If Flashintel doesn’t support your CRM natively, you may need to use CSV imports—clunky, but it works.
- Marketing Platforms: Google Ads, LinkedIn, email platforms. Go to Integrations and follow the prompts.
- Manual Uploads: For platforms Flashintel doesn’t support, export your data as CSV and upload. Not glamorous, but sometimes necessary.
Watch out: Integrations can break, especially if you change passwords or permissions. Double-check that data is coming in fresh—old numbers are worse than no numbers.
3. Start a New Custom Dashboard
Once your data’s in, head to the Dashboards section.
- Click New Dashboard.
- Give it a name that actually means something. “Q3 ABM Campaigns” beats “Dashboard 4”.
- Choose whether it’s private or shared with your team. (You can change this later.)
Tip: You can always make more dashboards, so don’t stress about getting it perfect right away.
4. Pick the Right Widgets (Don’t Add Everything)
Widgets are the building blocks. Flashintel offers charts, tables, funnels, leaderboards, and more. Ignore the urge to add every shiny graph.
Only Add What You’ll Use
For B2B campaign tracking, stick to essentials: - Pipeline value by campaign (bar or line chart) - Leads generated per channel - Conversion rates (especially web-to-lead and lead-to-opportunity) - Campaign ROI (if you have cost data) - Engagement metrics (like email opens, ad clicks—if you care)
Skip these unless you have a reason: - Vanity metrics (impressions, generic “reach”) - Overly granular breakdowns (“Leads by shoe size and zodiac sign”)
Configure each widget: - Pick the right data source and filters (e.g., date ranges, campaign names) - Use clear labels—avoid cryptic shorthand - Set up comparisons if you want to track week-over-week or month-over-month changes
5. Arrange and Customize Your Dashboard
A good dashboard tells a story at a glance. Put the most important info up top, in big, easy-to-read widgets.
Tips for layout: - Top row: KPIs (pipeline, leads, conversions) - Middle: Trends over time (line/bar charts) - Bottom: Details or drill-downs (tables, leaderboards)
Color and size: Use color sparingly—red for bad, green for good, maybe yellow for “meh.” Don’t let the dashboard look like a bag of Skittles.
6. Filter and Segment Your Data
Filters are where the magic happens. Set them up so you (or your team) can slice data by: - Date range (last 7 days, this quarter, custom) - Campaign name or ID - Channel (LinkedIn, Google, email, etc.) - Sales stage or lead status
Pro tip: Set default filters that make sense for most users. Nobody wants to reset filters every single time.
Advanced: Use Flashintel’s “Saved Views” if you want to let people switch between pre-set filters (e.g., “All ABM campaigns,” “Only inbound leads”).
7. Set Up Alerts and Sharing
A dashboard is only useful if people see it. Flashintel lets you: - Schedule email reports: Send a snapshot (PDF or link) to your team every Monday. - Set up alerts: Get pinged when a metric goes above/below a threshold (e.g., “Leads drop below 10 this week”). - Share access: Invite teammates with view or edit permissions. Be careful with edit rights—one accidental change can mess things up for everyone.
What doesn’t work: Don’t rely on people logging in daily. Push important info to them.
8. Avoid Common Traps
Here’s what trips people up (and how to avoid it):
- Too much data: More charts = more confusion. Stick to the few metrics that matter.
- Messy naming: “Q2 Leads” vs. “Leads Q2” vs. “LEADS 2024”—pick a standard and stick with it.
- Untrusted data: If you can’t trust your CRM or ad data, fix that first. Dashboards are only as good as the underlying numbers.
- Set-it-and-forget-it: Review your dashboards every month. Business changes, campaigns change—so should your dashboard.
9. Iterate Based on Feedback
After a week or two, ask the people using the dashboard: - Can you answer your main questions faster? - Is anything missing—or is there too much? - What do you actually look at? What do you ignore?
Don’t be precious—delete or tweak widgets that aren’t helping. A dashboard should make your life easier, not add busywork.
10. When to Ignore the Dashboard
Sometimes, campaign performance needs deeper analysis than any dashboard provides. If something looks off—leads tank, conversion rates spike—dig into the raw data. Dashboards show what’s happening, but not always why.
Don’t force every question into a widget. Sometimes, a good old spreadsheet or a one-off report is better for messy, ad hoc analysis.
Keep It Simple—and Keep Improving
Custom dashboards in Flashintel can save you a ton of time—if you build them for real questions, not just because you can. Start simple, focus on what you’ll actually use, and don’t be afraid to change things up as you go. Most importantly, make sure your dashboard’s helping you spot problems and make decisions, not just generating more charts to ignore.
Happy tracking.