If you’re trying to figure out if your sales content is actually working—or if your prospects are just ignoring it—this guide is for you. Maybe you’re in sales, marketing, or just the person everyone expects to “figure out the analytics.” Either way, you want answers, not a data firehose. Here’s how to actually track and analyze customer engagement using Showell’s analytics tools, without wasting your time.
1. Get Your Showell Analytics Set Up (Don’t Skip This)
First things first: this all assumes you’re actually using Showell to deliver sales content. If your team is still emailing PDFs around, pause here and fix that. Assuming you’re set up:
- Make sure analytics tracking is enabled. This usually means your Showell admin has turned on analytics in the platform’s settings. If you’re not sure, ask them.
- Define who can see what. Not everyone needs analytics access. Decide who’s monitoring engagement—sales leaders, marketing, or both.
- Check your privacy settings. Showell tracks a lot, including who views what, when, and for how long. Make sure you aren’t accidentally snooping on internal files or breaking privacy rules with customer data.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink permissions at first. Start basic, and tighten it up later if needed.
2. Know What Showell Actually Tracks (and What It Doesn’t)
Showell’s analytics are good—but not magic. Here’s what you can expect:
What You’ll See
- Shared file stats: Who viewed or downloaded which files, when, and for how long.
- Presentation engagement: Which slides/pages people lingered on or skipped.
- Link tracking: If you send a unique Showell share link, you’ll see who clicked it and what they did next.
- User activity: Internal usage, like which reps use the app, what they share, and how often.
What You Won’t See
- Deep user intent: You’ll know if someone opened a file, but not what they thought about it.
- Email opens (unless using Showell links): If you just attach a PDF to an email, Showell can’t track squat.
- Anonymous website traffic: Showell isn’t Google Analytics. It’s about the content you push out, not your whole site.
Don’t get fooled by...
- “Time spent” metrics: Just because someone left your deck open for 30 minutes doesn’t mean they read it. Sometimes, lunch happens.
- Downloads ≠ interest: People download stuff all the time and never look at it again.
3. Start Tracking Customer Engagement: Step-by-Step
Here’s how you actually use Showell analytics to follow what your contacts are doing.
Step 1: Share Content the Right Way
- Always use Showell share links. Don’t just attach files to emails. Share links are what lets you track views and engagement.
- Personalize (when it makes sense). You can send a unique link to each prospect, or one link to a group. If you care about who is engaging, use one link per person.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time obsessing over every single view. Focus on big deals or key accounts.
Step 2: Watch Engagement in the Analytics Dashboard
- Go to your Showell analytics dashboard.
- Look at “Shared Content” reports. Here’s where you’ll see which files were opened, how long people spent on each page, and whether they downloaded them.
- Check viewer info. Showell will show you contact details if the viewer’s identity is known (i.e., they opened from their unique link).
Pro tip: Filter by time period or specific content. Looking at “all time” data is usually just noise.
Step 3: Dig Into the Details (But Don’t Get Lost)
Here’s what actually matters:
- First open: Did your prospect open the file at all? If not, maybe your email subject line sucked, or maybe they’re not interested.
- Repeated views: If someone keeps coming back to the same presentation, that’s a buying signal.
- Slide/page drop-off: If everyone bails after the third slide, fix slide four. Don’t assume they read the whole thing.
- Downloads: If they download, they might be sharing with others. This can mean internal traction—or someone just likes to hoard files.
What NOT to do: Don’t make up stories about what every data point means. Look for patterns across multiple prospects, not just one-off behavior.
4. Analyze Patterns and Spot Real Signals
Now you’ve got raw data. Here’s how to turn it into something useful.
Focus on Trends, Not One-Offs
- Which content gets the most engagement? This tells you what people actually care about.
- Are certain reps or teams getting more opens than others? Maybe their follow-up messages are stronger, or they’re targeting better.
- Which slides/pages are always skipped? Cut or fix them.
Use Data for Real Conversations
- With prospects: “I noticed you spent a lot of time on our pricing overview—any questions I can answer?” Don’t be creepy, but use the info to open doors.
- With your team: “Everyone drops off at slide six—let’s rework it or move it up.”
Beware of False Positives
- Bots and auto-previews: Sometimes email clients open links for virus scanning. If you see opens but zero time spent, it could be this.
- Fake urgency: Don’t assume someone is “hot” just because they clicked a link at midnight. Check for follow-up engagement.
5. Customize and Export Analytics (If You Need to Report Up)
Most people are fine using Showell’s built-in dashboards, but if you need to do more:
- Download CSVs: You can usually export your data for slicing and dicing in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Build custom reports: Some Showell plans let you build reports filtered by time period, user, or content type.
- Integrate with your CRM: If you really want to get fancy, connect Showell analytics to your CRM (like Salesforce) to line up engagement data with deal stages.
Don’t waste resources: Unless your boss is obsessed with PowerPoint charts, stick with the basics. The main value is seeing what content works and what doesn’t—not drowning in graphs.
6. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Here’s what trips most teams up:
- Relying only on “opens.” Engagement is more than just clicks and opens—look for repeated views, downloads, and specific slide interactions.
- Over-interpreting the data. Don’t read minds based on analytics alone. Use it as a conversation starter, not a crystal ball.
- Ignoring feedback from sales reps. Combine what the data says with what your team hears on the ground.
- Letting the data get stale. Check analytics regularly, especially after major content updates or campaigns.
7. Keep It Simple: Make Small Changes and Iterate
You don’t need a PhD in analytics to get value from Showell. Start by tracking engagement on your most important content. Notice what’s working (and what’s not). Tweak, test, and repeat.
The best teams use analytics to stop guessing and start acting. Don’t obsess over every data point. Use what you learn to have smarter conversations, send better follow-ups, and—most importantly—ditch the sales content nobody reads.
That’s it. Keep your setup simple, trust your gut alongside the data, and treat analytics like a flashlight, not a crystal ball.