The insanely easy way to get immediate HubSpot reports

Ready to start reporting in HubSpot? There's a lot to break down on this topic so before we dive in deep, let’s quickly walk through some basics and a couple of tips to get you going. Today we’ll go over:

1. The HubSpot feature you don’t want to miss
2. 14 super-fast ways to get started
3. How to be a compelling storyteller
4. Quick clicks to give you even more clarity
5. Next steps to really knock the socks off your boss
   
   

1. The HubSpot feature you don't want to miss

If you're new to the HubSpot platform, you've come to the right place. Now is the perfect time to get everything set up and start tracking your business growth and improvement. That’s why today we’re talking about the power of....(drumroll, please)...dashboards!

So exciting!  Yayy….but seriously.  If you’re not already an analytics nerd, you’re about to be.  

What's so awesome about dashboards?

HubSpot dashboards are basically collections of data that give you and your team a bird's eye view of your business (beyond what you can see in a single report). Not only do dashboards give you a snapshot of data in one centralized location, but the HubSpot platform makes creating them ridiculously easy.

Want to know how? Keep reading.

2. 14 super-fast ways to get started

A first glance at all the options available in your HubSpot account may have you like:

The good news is that you don’t have to overthink it here. HubSpot currently has 14 detailed, pre-built dashboards that can have you ready to go in just a few clicks. Here’s how to get your quick data overview:

When you hover over the Reports tab in your HubSpot account, you’ll see three different areas: Analytics Tools, Dashboards, and Reports.

How about we start with Dashboards? Cool, let's go.

Say you’re in a pinch and need to show your team the engagement on your website for a last-minute meeting. If you have a HubSpot website, you can simply:

• hit Create dashboard

• go to the Marketing tab

• find the Website Visits and Engagement dashboard in your Dashboard Library

• select the reports you'd like to include

...and BOOM! You’re meeting-ready in less time than it takes to read the rest of this blog post. But wait - before you run off to make that killer presentation, there are a few more boxes you'll want to check.

3. How to be a compelling storyteller

Now that you have a snapshot of your data in one place, you'll want to organize it into a story. To do this, you'll need to think like a designer. Not what you were expecting from a bit about analytics, huh? Surprise! 

Remember, this dashboard is for you *and* your team, so you want them to be able to quickly scan and understand the story your data is telling. How can you make your dashboard scannable? Here are a couple of pro tips:

• Use visual hierarchy.

Draw your reader's eye to essential data by putting the most vital reports at the top. You can reorder reports with HubSpot’s drag and drop feature and resize them for emphasis. This feature is super fun to play around with, actually. Go ahead, give it a try.

• Keep it simple.  
  

Resist the urge to data dump. If you'd like to add reports to your dashboard (more on this in a minute), be choosy. The more focused your dashboard is, the easier it will be to read.

Hey, your dashboard is looking pretty chic. Let's tailor it for a custom fit.

4. Quick Clicks to give you even more clarity

As rad as your initial overview is, you’ll probably have some questions or want more details as you build your dashboard. For example, can you see web traffic from a particular time period? Yes, you can! You can customize your dashboard with filters to get more granular.  

Another way to customize your dashboard is to add individual reports. Take our Website Visits and Engagement dashboard, for example. What if you wanted more info on the average session length to see how it changed over time? Here's where the Analytics Tools come in handy.

Head back up to your Reports tab and down to Analytics Tools. You'll see a ton of options here, including Traffic Analytics, where you can save reports (like Average Session Length) to your dashboard.

But wait - there's even more! Let's not forget about the Report library. Go back to your Reports tab, hit Reports, and then click the Report library button to view dozens of pre-built reports. There's a report for practically anything from Ads to Website pages (depending on your HubSpot plan). Plus, you can see comparisons and trends and report on specific lists or sales reps.

There's plenty of data here, so play around and have fun. Just remember to make your dashboard clean and focused before you present it. :)

5. Next steps to really knock the socks off your boss

Hey, look how far you've come today! We've covered a lot so far, and as you've seen, getting started with dashboards in HubSpot is super easy. But there’s rarely a one-and-done solution for every unique team, and we haven't even started talking about all you can do with custom reports.  The possibilities are practically endless!

If you liked this intro and want a deeper dive, grab our...

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