So you want to keep an eye on your GTM (Go-to-Market) metrics, but the default views just aren’t cutting it. Maybe your team’s tired of digging through cluttered reports, or you’re just done with dashboards that look pretty but don’t actually help you make decisions. This guide is for you: someone who wants a useful custom dashboard in Ocean, built for real-world GTM tracking, without wasting time on features you’ll never use.
Why Build a Custom Dashboard in Ocean?
Let’s be honest—out-of-the-box dashboards rarely show you exactly what you care about. You get a scatter of charts, maybe a vanity metric or two, and a lot of stuff you end up ignoring. Building your own dashboard in Ocean means you can:
- See only the metrics that actually matter for your GTM strategy
- Cut out the noise—no more wading through 20 tabs to find what you need
- Share actionable views with your team (not just another pretty graph)
- Spot issues faster—and actually do something about them
If you’re sick of dashboards that are all sizzle and no steak, you’re in the right place.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your GTM Metrics
Before you even log in to Ocean, figure out which GTM performance metrics actually move the needle for your team. Don’t let “what’s easy to measure” decide what you pay attention to.
Typical GTM metrics worth tracking: - Lead volume (by source, by campaign) - Conversion rates (by funnel stage) - Pipeline velocity and deal stage movement - CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) - Churn and retention - Sales cycle length - MQL to SQL conversion rates
Ignore these (unless you have a specific reason): - “Page views” or vanity website stats (unless they tie directly to revenue) - Social followers (unless you track direct conversions) - Any metric you never act on
Pro tip: Ask yourself, “If this number goes up or down, would I actually change what I’m doing?” If not, scrap it.
Step 2: Connect Your Data Sources to Ocean
The best dashboard in the world is worthless if the data’s stale or incomplete. Ocean can pull from a bunch of sources—CRMs, ad platforms, marketing automation, spreadsheets, you name it. But don’t just connect everything because you can.
How to keep it clean: - Connect only the sources you actively use for GTM tracking (think Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Ads, etc.) - Use Ocean’s data mapping tools to make sure fields line up (e.g., “Deal Created Date” in Salesforce = “Opportunity Created” in Ocean) - Set up automated refresh schedules—real-time is nice, but daily or hourly is usually enough unless you’re running live ops
Watch out for: - Duplicate data (common if you connect the same source twice or mix exports/imports) - Field mismatches—Ocean’s smart, but it won’t fix messy source data for you
Step 3: Start Your Custom Dashboard
Now you’re ready to build. In Ocean, hit “Create Dashboard” and skip the templates (unless you really like default layouts). Custom is the goal here.
1. Name your dashboard something obvious. - “GTM Performance – Q2” beats “Dashboard 7”
2. Choose your layout. - Ocean lets you drag-and-drop widgets—don’t overthink it. Start simple: top metrics at the top, details below.
3. Add your first widgets. - For each metric, create a widget (chart, table, KPI card, etc.) - Set filters so each widget only shows what matters (e.g., “Active deals in Q2,” “Leads from Paid Search”)
Don’t get fancy yet: Focus on core metrics first. You can always add more later.
Step 4: Tweak Visuals for Clarity (Not for Show)
There’s nothing wrong with a pretty dashboard—as long as it’s actually readable. Ocean gives you a lot of chart types. Here’s how to avoid dashboard spaghetti:
Use these: - Big number cards for KPIs (e.g., “New Leads This Month”) - Line or bar charts for trends over time (pipeline, conversions) - Funnel charts for drop-off between stages - Tables for detail, but only if you need to see the raw list
Avoid these: - Pie charts with more than 3–4 slices (nobody can read them) - Stacked bar charts unless you’re sure what the colors mean - Widgets that don’t answer a specific question
Pro tip: If you have to explain what a chart means every time, it’s the wrong chart.
Step 5: Set Up Filters, Segments, and Drilldowns
The real power of a custom dashboard is making it interactive. Ocean lets you build filters and segments, so you can answer, “What’s going on just with our enterprise leads?” or “How’s paid search doing this month?”
What’s worth setting up: - Date filters: So you can see trends by week, month, quarter - Source/channel filters: For slicing by marketing channel, sales rep, etc. - Customer segment filters: (SMB vs. Enterprise) - Drilldown links: Click a chart to jump into the underlying data
Don’t go filter-crazy: Too many options overwhelm people. Start with 2–3 important filters and add more only if people ask.
Step 6: Share, Automate, and Set Alerts
You built it, but if nobody uses it, what’s the point? Ocean lets you share dashboards with teammates, schedule email digests, and even set up alerts for critical changes.
How to make your dashboard useful, not forgotten: - Share with real users: Not just execs—get feedback from people who’ll actually use it - Set up automated reports: Weekly or monthly summaries are usually enough (real-time alerts only for true emergencies) - Create alerts for key thresholds: E.g., if conversion rate drops below 5%, get pinged
Don’t:
- Send daily dashboards to everyone’s inbox (they’ll ignore them)
- Set up more alerts than you’d want to receive yourself
What Works (And What Doesn’t) in Ocean Dashboards
What works: - Fast setup—widgets and filters are straightforward - Real-time or scheduled data refreshes (without manual exports) - Good collaboration features (sharing, comments) - Easy to clone and tweak dashboards for new quarters or teams
What doesn’t: - If your source data is a mess, Ocean won’t magically clean it up - Limited in extremely custom visualizations (if you want super-niche charts, you might hit limits) - Some integrations take fiddling to get right (especially homegrown tools)
What to ignore: - Overly complex dashboards with 20+ widgets—nobody will use them - Widgets that look cool but don’t drive action
Keeping It Simple: Final Thoughts
Custom dashboards in Ocean should help you act, not just admire your data. Start with the metrics you actually use, build a simple dashboard, and get feedback from real users. Don’t waste time chasing the perfect layout—iterate as your GTM strategy changes. Less is more.
Remember: If your dashboard helps you spot problems and make decisions faster, it’s working. If not, strip it down until it does.