So you need a marketing dashboard that actually tells you what’s going on—not just charts for the sake of charts. You’re using Refer, or at least considering it, and you’d like to cut through the fluff to build something that shows what matters. This guide is for marketers, analysts, and honestly, anyone tired of staring at endless data exports and wishing for a bit more sanity.
I’ll walk you through building a custom reporting dashboard in Refer, step by step. I’ll flag what’s useful, what’s just noise, and how to avoid dashboards that look impressive but don’t help you make better decisions.
Step 1: Know What You Actually Need to See
It’s tempting to start adding every metric you can find. Don’t. Before you even open Refer, decide what questions you need your dashboard to answer. Here’s how to get ruthless:
- Start with your goals. Are you tracking lead gen, campaign ROI, channel performance, or something else?
- List the 3–5 questions you want answered. E.g.: “Which campaigns are bringing in the most qualified leads?”
- Decide who the dashboard is for. Yourself? The CEO? The whole team? Don’t try to please everyone.
Pro tip: If you can’t act on a metric, don’t bother tracking it. Vanity metrics (like “impressions” with no context) just waste space.
Step 2: Get Your Data Ready
Refer does a decent job integrating with common marketing sources—Google Ads, Facebook, email tools, CRM, etc.—but you still need to make sure your data is:
- Connected: Check that all your data sources are hooked up and syncing. If something’s missing, fix it before building dashboards.
- Clean: Garbage in, garbage out. Watch out for duplicate leads, mislabeled campaigns, or weird date formats.
- Consistent: Make sure naming conventions match across channels. “Spring Sale 2024” should look the same everywhere.
What to skip: Don’t bother connecting every possible data source just because you can. Stick to the essentials for your goals.
Step 3: Create a New Dashboard in Refer
Now, log in to Refer and head to the dashboards section.
- Click “Create Dashboard.” (The button’s usually in the top right. If it’s not, check your permissions—Refer can be picky about user roles.)
- Give it a clear name. “Q2 Lead Gen Performance” beats “My Dashboard (2).”
- Set permissions. Decide who gets to view or edit. If it’s just for you, skip this. For team dashboards, limit editing to avoid accidental “improvements.”
Step 4: Add and Configure Your Widgets
Widgets are Refer’s building blocks—each one shows a chart, table, or metric.
1. Pick Only What’s Useful
Think back to your key questions. For each, choose the simplest widget that answers it.
- KPIs or Single Metrics: For quick stats like “Leads this month.”
- Time Series: For trends (e.g., leads per week).
- Pie/Bar Charts: For breakdowns (e.g., leads by channel).
- Tables: For details you actually need (but avoid massive tables—nobody scrolls through 100 rows).
2. Customize Data Sources and Filters
- Select the right data. Every widget has a “data source” setting. Make sure you’re pulling from the correct channel or campaign.
- Apply filters. Only show what matters (e.g., filter out test campaigns, limit to a date range).
- Watch out for double-counts. If Refer is combining CRM and ad data, check for overlap.
3. Arrange and Resize
- Drag widgets around to put the most important at the top.
- Delete anything that doesn’t serve a purpose.
Pro tip: Don’t cram everything onto one dashboard. If you’re running out of space, split into a “High-Level Overview” and a more detailed “Channel Deep Dive.”
Step 5: Fine-Tune Visuals (Don’t Get Distracted)
Refer gives you plenty of ways to tweak widget colors, chart types, and layouts. Here’s what actually matters:
- Consistency: Use the same colors for the same channels across widgets.
- Clarity: Label axes and legends. If a chart needs a paragraph to explain, simplify it.
- Minimalism: Less is more. Remove logos, backgrounds, or “fun” icons unless they add real value.
What to skip: Fancy visual effects. They impress nobody and make export/printing a pain.
Step 6: Automate and Share Reports
A dashboard’s only useful if people see it and act on it.
- Set up scheduled exports: Refer lets you email dashboards as PDFs or links on a schedule. Weekly is usually enough for most teams.
- Embed or share live links: If your team works in Slack, Notion, or another tool, embed the dashboard there. Just watch out for permissions.
- Double-check sharing settings: You don’t want to accidentally send raw lead data outside your org.
Pro tip: Remind people what they’re looking at. Add a short “How to use this dashboard” note at the top if sharing widely.
Step 7: Review and Improve
No dashboard is perfect on day one. Here’s how to keep yours relevant:
- Get feedback: Ask users if the dashboard helps them make decisions. If not, tweak or cut.
- Remove dead weight: If a widget isn’t used for a month, kill it.
- Update questions: As your goals change, your dashboard should too.
What to ignore: Requests to add “just one more metric” unless it’s tied to a real decision.
Common Pitfalls and How to Dodge Them
Here’s what trips up most teams when building dashboards in Refer:
- Overcomplicating: The more widgets, the less people look at any of them.
- Ignoring data quality: No dashboard can fix bad source data.
- Chasing real-time: Most marketing data doesn’t change minute-to-minute. Daily or weekly is usually fine.
- Defaulting to Refer’s templates: They can be a decent starting point, but tend to be too generic or overloaded.
If you find yourself trying to impress rather than inform, take a step back. The best dashboards are boringly clear.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Keep Iterating
Building a useful custom dashboard in Refer isn’t about showing off every metric—it’s about surfacing the few numbers that actually drive action. Start with your goals, keep the design simple, and don’t be afraid to cut what’s not helping you decide what to do next.
Remember: A dashboard isn’t forever. Revisit, revise, and don’t wait for perfection before sharing. The best dashboard is the one your team actually uses.