A marketing dashboard is a consolidated view of the metrics that show how marketing is performing, ideally focused on a small number of decision-relevant numbers. A good dashboard answers specific questions quickly. A poor one displays everything available and buries the few figures that matter.

Most marketing dashboards are built to show activity rather than answer questions, which is why founders glance at them and feel none the wiser. A useful dashboard holds the handful of numbers that would change a decision: pipeline, cost to acquire, close rate, revenue sourced. If a metric on your dashboard would not change what you do, remove it.

Example:

A dashboard showing pipeline generated, acquisition cost, and marketing-sourced revenue answers real questions. One showing impressions, clicks, and follower counts answers none.

What should a marketing dashboard include?

The small set of metrics that would actually change a decision, such as pipeline generated, acquisition cost, close rate, and marketing-sourced revenue.

Why do most dashboards fail?

They display every available metric rather than the few that inform decisions, so the numbers that matter get buried in activity data.