Most marketing dashboards are either so basic they tell you nothing, or so bloated you need a PhD to use them. If you’re running campaigns and just want to know what’s working (and what isn’t), you need a way to cut through the noise. This guide is for anyone using Getsignals dashboards to actually track and report on campaign performance—without getting lost in the weeds or wasting hours fiddling with charts.
Let’s get practical: here’s how to get real insights from Getsignals dashboards, what to set up, what to skip, and how to share results that actually mean something.
1. Get Clear on What You Actually Want to Track
Before you even log in, get specific about what matters for your campaigns. Dashboards are only as useful as the questions you’re trying to answer.
Start with these basics: - What does “success” look like for this campaign? (Leads? Purchases? Signups?) - What’s the single most important metric you’d defend in a meeting? - Who needs to see the results—and what do they care about?
If you don’t know these, no dashboard will save you. Write them down. Seriously.
Pro tip: Don’t try to track everything. Pick 3–5 metrics max. The more you add, the less you’ll pay attention to any of them.
2. Connect Your Data Sources (and Ignore the Rest)
Getsignals plays nicely with most ad platforms, CRMs, and web analytics tools. But just because you can connect everything doesn’t mean you should.
What to do: 1. Go to the Integrations panel in Getsignals. 2. Connect only the sources you actually use for your current campaign. This usually means: - Google Ads and/or Facebook Ads - Your main CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.) - Website analytics (Google Analytics or similar)
Skip these unless you have a reason: - That random LinkedIn account you never use - “Legacy” platforms with messy data - Any integration that’s just going to sit there unused
Why be picky? More data sources = more clutter and more places for things to break. If you’re not using the data, don’t bring it in.
3. Build (or Pick) the Right Dashboard
Getsignals offers a bunch of templates, but not all of them are good out of the box. You’ll save time by starting with a template, but expect to tweak it.
How to do it: 1. Go to the Dashboards tab. 2. Click “New Dashboard” and browse the templates. 3. Pick the one closest to your needs (e.g., “Paid Campaign Performance”). 4. Remove any widgets you don’t care about—if you don’t know what it is, you won’t miss it. 5. Add the 3–5 metrics you wrote down earlier.
What works: - Visualizations that show trends over time (line graphs, bar charts) - Simple tables for top-performing ads, keywords, or landing pages - Conversion funnels if you care about drop-off
What doesn’t: - Pie charts (almost always useless) - Vanity metrics (impressions, followers, etc. unless they matter to your goal) - Widgets you never look at
Pro tip: Name your dashboard something obvious, like “Q2 Facebook Lead Gen” or “April Product Launch.” This prevents confusion when you have dozens of dashboards later.
4. Set Up Useful Filters and Segments
You want answers, not “averages.” Filters and segments help you see what’s really happening.
Set up filters for: - Date ranges (always compare to previous period or year) - Campaign, ad group, or creative - Geography or device, if relevant
Segments to consider: - New vs. returning users - Channel source (e.g., paid search vs. paid social) - High-value vs. low-value leads
What to ignore: - Over-segmenting (e.g., breaking down by 20 cities when you only sell in 2) - Filters you never use
Getsignals tip: Their filtering system is pretty intuitive, but double-check the logic—“AND” vs. “OR” can mess up your results if you’re not careful.
5. Automate Reporting (But Don’t Blindly Trust the Exports)
Getsignals lets you automate report delivery (PDF, email, or live links). This is great for saving time, but don’t just set it and forget it.
How to do it: 1. Click “Export” or “Share” on your dashboard. 2. Choose your format—PDF is easy for execs, live links are better for teams who want to poke around. 3. Set up a schedule (weekly, monthly, etc.).
What works: - Sending a summary with one sentence of context (“Leads up 20% this week, mostly from Facebook.”) - Sharing live dashboards for transparency
What doesn’t: - Long, automated PDFs with no explanation (nobody reads these) - Spamming everyone with daily updates (pick a cadence that matches decision-making speed)
Pro tip: If you see weird data, don’t wait for your “monthly review”—dig in sooner. Automated doesn’t mean hands-off.
6. Actually Read the Data (and Ask the Obvious Questions)
This is where most people drop the ball. It’s easy to look at pretty charts and do nothing. Instead, take 10 minutes to actually read what’s changed.
Ask yourself: - What’s up or down compared to last period? - Does the data make sense, or does something seem off? - Are there clear winners or losers in your campaigns? - What’s the one thing you’d try next based on what you see?
What to ignore: - Minor fluctuations (don’t panic over 1–2% swings) - Data you can’t act on (if you can’t change it, don’t obsess over it)
Getsignals honesty: The platform makes it easy to spot trends, but it won’t tell you why something changed. That’s still on you.
7. Share Simple, Actionable Insights—Not Just Numbers
Dashboards are for decisions, not just decoration. When you report results, focus on what matters to your audience.
How to share: - Lead with the main story (“Email performed better than paid search this month.”) - Back it up with 1–2 charts or tables—no more - Suggest a next step (“Let’s test more email creative.”)
What works: - Short summaries, even in an email body - Highlighting outliers or unexpected results
What doesn’t: - Dumping screenshots with no explanation - Trying to impress with 20 slides of data
Pro tip: If you can’t explain your results in a few sentences to someone outside marketing, you’re overcomplicating it.
8. Iterate and Improve (Don’t Fall in Love with Your Dashboard)
Your first dashboard won’t be perfect. That’s fine. The goal is to make it useful, not beautiful.
What to do: - Every month, kill any metric or widget nobody looks at - Add new metrics if your goals change (but only if you need them) - Ask for feedback—what do people actually want to see?
What to ignore: - Fancy design tweaks unless they make data clearer - Chasing the “perfect” dashboard (it doesn’t exist)
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Stay Curious
Getsignals dashboards are a solid tool for tracking campaign performance, but only if you keep things focused. Don’t let the tech distract you from your real goal: understanding what’s working, what’s not, and what to try next.
Start small, stay honest about what matters, and tweak as you go. Most of the value comes from asking good questions and having the discipline to act on what you see—not from building the world’s prettiest dashboard.
Now, get out there and make your reporting actually useful.