Coupler.io Blog

Automated Marketing Agency Reporting + Dashboard for B2B agencies

The time-consuming reality of marketing agency reporting

Every client wants to see how their marketing agency uses their budget to understand how their money is being spent. On average, compiling a monthly report for a client takes between 2-5 hours, while more complex reports can take over 8 hours. The reason why it takes so long comes down to a manual, multi-step process that involves:

For a mid-sized agency managing 20 clients, reporting tasks alone can take between 100-160 hours per month. If an agency provides weekly reports to their clients, not to mention ad-hoc reporting requests, the time investment increases significantly. You should be prepared to sacrifice up to 25% of your marketing team’s productive hours.

Not only is reporting tedious work, it can negatively impact your business when the process is inefficient. For instance:

At the same time, two-thirds of marketing agencies consider client retention to be their biggest challenge in 2025. Yet in our own survey, 30% agreed that reporting has a positive effect on client satisfaction and retention.

Here’s what Aaron Whittaker of Thrive Agency had to say about its impact:

[In our experience,] effective reporting directly impacts client retention through demonstrated value. After implementing business-outcome reporting frameworks showing marketing’s contribution to the sales pipeline, our client retention increased significantly. This approach helps our clients understand marketing’s impact on their business goals rather than just activity metrics.

Time is not the only problem

Manual reporting is a time-intensive process that is also associated with other issues: 

1. High risk of human error during data collection and calculations. In fact, there is an 18-40% probability that you will make an error while manually entering data into a report.

2. Scattered data that makes gathering accurate insights difficult. For instance, most organizations (around 85%) don’t use centralized data warehouses or customer data platforms (CDPs) to manage their marketing data, which can lead to problems with data quality and reliability during reporting.

3. Inconsistent data and reporting formats across different team members and clients. In a survey on data quality, 95% of respondents said that inconsistent data formatting had a negative impact on client trust and brand perception. Not to mention, it can look unprofessional when your report style changes depending on who compiles it each month.

4. Delayed insights due to time-consuming data collection and organization. For instance, marketing teams use an average of 19 different tools in their work, many of which require manual effort to extract and consolidate data for reports.

5. Reports are typically static, i.e., they lack interactivity and real-time updates. Again, this can cost your team hours of valuable time. Meanwhile, research shows that 50% of clients prefer to review performance data in live dashboards.

6. Increased operational costs due to inefficient resource allocation. According to a Forrester study, marketers waste 21 cents for every media dollar spent (or 32% of their billable time) managing data quality. In essence, misspent time is misspent money.

Marketing reporting done right – automation as a lifeline

What if I said that instead of spending 100 hours per month on reporting, you could spend just a few minutes to make a coffee ? An automated reporting system transforms how agencies deliver insights to their clients. Instead of static reports, your clients will have access to dynamic dashboards that always display up-to-date information. Here is what you need to ensure efficient marketing agency reporting:

1. Automation and AI enhancements

Data collection is the first aspect of the reporting process you should automate. Why? Because no-code SaaS solutions make it quick and easy to set up – no need for technical input or maintenance. Instead of manually downloading data to create PDF reports, you can set up a continuous flow of data from marketing platforms (e.g., Google Ads, GA4, HubSpot) to a live, shareable dashboard.

For instance, with Coupler.io, you only need to connect your clients’ marketing accounts and configure the data flow settings once. After that, the tool will automatically fetch the data on a regular schedule.

AI also has the potential to take your reporting process to the next level. According to recent surveys, 77% of agencies have already implemented AI in their marketing routines. Here are a couple of examples how to enhance client reporting with AI automation:

Keep in mind that these AI-driven features require advanced technical skills to implement, although you can sometimes avail of them through existing tools, like Coupler.io.

Coupler.io ready-to-use connectors are based on APIs. At the same time, it allows you to create custom integrations with sales and marketing APIs.

2. Data visualization

Ideally, client reports should be clear, engaging, and visually appealing. This is achievable with BI tools like Looker Studio, Power BI, or Tableau, which allow you to visualize marketing data and help clients make sense of the numbers in front of them.

The style and availability of visualization features vary across BI tools, but there are generally six main types.

Types of marketing data visualizations

How to make reports more engaging

Data visualization is more complicated than creating a couple of pie charts and calling it a day. Here are a few tips on how to create smart, stylish, easy-to-read reports for clients:

1. Start with key takeaways. Place scorecards highlighting predefined metrics at the top of the dashboard. This will provide clients with a high-level summary of progress and results as soon as they open the report.

2. Design for simplicity. Add a variety of visualizations to your report, but avoid overwhelming users with too much information. Aim for a balance of raw numbers, tables, and charts, focusing on the data that is most insightful for your clients. Lastly, don’t forget to choose a complementary color palette and stick to it.

3. Prioritize interactivity. Adding interactive elements to reports instantly makes them more valuable and engaging. For example, date filters allow clients to review historical data and assess progress over time – instead of requesting separate reports from you. Drill-downs let them dive deeper into specific metrics or periods, preventing data overwhelm. Clickable charts make it easier for clients to tailor the report view, leading to faster insights and a more personalized experience.

4. Optimize for mobile. Clients aren’t always viewing reports from their desk – they might check them while commuting, between meetings, or on the go. For these reports to be easily accessible, they must be optimized for mobile. Here are some tips:

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3. Focus on key business results

Efficient client reports must go beyond vanity metrics and display real business impact. For instance, the number of impressions a campaign has generated is low value unless you show how many leads it has brought. So, marketing experts must ensure their reports showcase metrics that let clients understand key business results. Here are some examples:

Khan Muhammad Imran, Founder & CEO of Brand Ignite marketing agency, explained how they dealt with clients who expected long reports ‘filled with vanity numbers’:

We [built] what we call the ‘Decision Trigger Report’. Instead of handing over long documents with endless KPIs, we give clients one report with three core insights tied directly to decisions they need to make next month. For example, rather than showing ad impressions, we show them which creative drove the most pipeline-ready leads and recommend whether to scale or pause it.

4. Client access to the insights

If you still prepare your reports in PDF format, it’s probably time to update your approach. A recent survey found that 49% of clients prefer to view marketing data in live dashboards instead of spreadsheets or static/printed reports. It gives them more autonomy and saves time on back-and-forth emails and calls. Live dashboards also decrease the risk of sending a report to the wrong client or missing a reporting deadline.

As we mentioned earlier, when clients have self-service access to reports, they can explore data independently using interactive features. For example, they can filter data by the desired period to compare results or check dynamics.

Some data visualization tools even have built-in features for real-time collaboration, allowing you to communicate with clients directly in the report. For instance, platforms like Tableau, Databox, and AgencyAnalytics let you add comments/annotations to visualizations in marketing reports. You can provide context or explain unusual changes without needing to schedule a meeting.

When you do have those meetings, however, live dashboard reports are easier to present and typically adapt to larger screens. The format also ensures everyone has access to the same up-to-date insights at any given moment.

Important measures to consider when giving clients access to reports:

How to ensure data security and compliance

Safeguarding client data is a core aspect of responsible agency reporting. You must always take into account the privacy and security of both consumers and your clients.

1. Comply with marketing data regulations

How you collect marketing data is more important than how you present it. To avoid expensive penalties, you must follow industry and regional regulations, such as:

If you are collecting data on consumers in other regions, you need to be aware of local regulations such as PIPEDA (Canada), POPI (Brazil), and LGPD (South Africa).

2. Establish security measures and protocols

Having clear security protocols in place from the beginning can help you avoid data breaches at your agency. It will give both you and your clients peace of mind and reduce legal risks.

Here are a few suggestions:

3. Manage user access controls and permissions

Controlling who can and can’t access the data in your client reports is critical. It prevents consumer data from falling into the wrong hands and protects your clients’ privacy, reducing the risk of non-compliance fines and damage to your agency’s reputation.

Always set the correct permissions (e.g., read-only, editor) when sharing a report externally and internally. Don’t forget you will also need to revoke access when a client, stakeholder, or specialist leaves the agency/project.

4. Define data retention policies

Decide on how long you plan to retain consumer and client data. This is important for compliance with key marketing regulations (GDPR & CCPA) and ensures you don’t amass piles of outdated, misleading data.

For instance, you could schedule reviews and deletions every 12-24 months, depending on regional and industry guidelines. Automation features in CRMs can make this process more efficient.

Importance of transparent reporting

A reasonable question any agency marketer may ask is ‘Do my clients need all this?’ Maybe they are totally okay with monthly emails and PDF reports. And there is a simple answer to this:

Client’s trust is built on data

Transparent reporting is the way to build a successful agency-client relationship. According to research, agencies with ‘high levels of transparency’ have an 83% higher retention rate than those without. Ultimately, clients want a complete understanding of their marketing performance. Communicating progress early and often shows that you have nothing to hide.

Here are a few key ways to foster trust through transparent reporting:

Daniel Thompson, Founder of Salt Water Digital agency, learned this the hard way:

We used to send out longer 5-6 page reports each month but we found our time was better spent working on the clients campaigns than reporting on them. [So] we’ve taken the less popular route of keeping our reports short and concise. We have 3-4 KPIs we track for every client and unless they specifically ask, those are the KPIs they receive – traffic, conversions, & keyword tracking.

All-in-one solution for automating marketing agency reporting

So far, we’ve mentioned a handful of tools with automation capabilities, but nothing that simplifies the entire reporting workflow. This is where Coupler.io comes in.

Coupler.io is a reporting and data automation solution designed to save you time on the reporting process. It allows you to visualize insights for clients in minutes and shave hours off your monthly routine. Here’s how it works:

1. Connect your clients’ marketing accounts to Coupler.io, choosing from over 60 integrations for platforms like Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, HubSpot, Shopify, and more.

2. Refine the data using built-in transformation features. Filter, sort, aggregate, add or rename columns, and combine data from different platforms into a unified dataset.

3. Load the data to a predesigned template or BI tool, then schedule automatic refreshes. The final result? A shareable dashboard with key metrics that updates daily, weekly, or as often as every 15 minutes.

How exactly does this approach save you time and effort?

Ready to automate your agency reporting? You can get started in just 5 minutes with a free account.

Marketing dashboard for B2B agencies

Automated, custom-made marketing reports are great assets, but they can be costly to build, improve, and scale. A better alternative is to use predesigned dashboards.

Coupler.io has designed one specifically for marketing agencies. Moreover, it was developed in partnership with Alina Zaiets, the founder and CEO of Marketing Pot, a marketing agency for SaaS and B2B service companies.

Why is this dashboard needed?

The main reason behind this was the need to combine data from different sources into one dashboard, which is convenient for CEOs who are not hands-on in marketing to review.

Imagine a situation when you have, say, 10K traffic but only a few leads. What should you pay attention to in order to identify and resolve this bottleneck?

Geography is the first thing to explore. You need to be sure you are focusing on the proper target audience. So, we’ve taken the information about traffic by country from GA4 and added it to the dashboard.

Moving to the next question: What channels does your traffic come from and what pages does it land on?

To analyze this, we’ve added the possibility of selecting the channel and the landing page and reviewing this data separately. This way, you can analyze the user’s intent (as you already know how they reached your page) and consider the next steps.

Also, this information is required when you invest in certain pages, so you follow their exact stats.

What the dashboard includes

The dashboard consists of 4 pages: Overview, Landing Page Performance, Conversions, and PPC Overview.

Overview

Basically, on this page you get an overview of channel groups and countries from which you get traffic to your website. It aggregates information from GA4 for agencies, along with other data sources.

Conversions 

On this page, you can see how many total users you have and what number of those got converted. The top panel offers 4 filtering options:

The fourth filter allows you to search through groups of landing pages using logical operators, such as Equals, Contains, Starts with, Regex, and In.

The chart about conversion dynamics shows the impact of marketing efforts, i.e. how many users each source has brought you. 

The funnel reporting section breaks down the progression from initial interest to final conversion. It has five stages that you can select based on your conversion events in GA4. 

This hierarchical view helps identify bottlenecks and optimization opportunities in the conversion process.

Landing page performance

This section provides a complete picture of landing page performance based on data from Google Analytics 4 and Search Console. This combination of information covers SEO and all other marketing activities.

Of course, you can filter scorecards, charts, and the table by landing page. Here are the key metrics used to analyze performance:

GA4 metricsSearch Console metrics
– Total users
– New users
– Sessions
– Key events
– Average session duration
– Bounce rate
– Impressions
– Clicks
– CTR
– Average position

PPC overview

Paid channels are another valuable asset to your marketing efforts for your clients. Therefore, the B2B agency marketing dashboard provides a separate page to overview the performance of direct spends.

You can connect as many advertising platforms as you need including Google Ads, Meta Ads, Quora Ads, etc. 

At the end of the page, you’ll see breakdown tables for campaigns and sources for more granular insights. 

Example of a real case you can solve with the dashboard

Let’s look at how the dashboard works using a real example. One company with 15K traffic had only 2-3 MQLs a month. However, the spending on SEO was about $3K/mo. The company also launched PPC campaigns from time to time to test new niches.

Using the dashboard, we revealed the following insights:

All this was possible thanks to the right focus that we’ve achieved using the right dashboard.

Who can use the dashboard?

This B2B marketing dashboard has a custom setup. You’ll need to connect multiple data sources as separate connectors, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and the advertising platforms used. However, our team of data experts can implement this for you. Your clients will get 24/7 access to their marketing performance data and the ability to monitor the progress in real-time.

Transparent relationship – checked ?

Feel free to reach out to our data experts who can help you implement this dashboard or design a custom solution!

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Other examples of dashboards for marketing agencies

The dashboard above is a custom-built solution we developed together with one of our partners. Technically, it’s a once-off – but we’ve got plenty of ready-to-use templates just like it. Here are a few examples from our extensive library of 100+ marketing and sales report templates: 

All-in-one marketing analytics dashboard

The all-in-one marketing analytics dashboard provides an overview of marketing performance across multiple channels, such as paid ads, organic search, social media, and email marketing. It consolidates data from several platforms, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Facebook Ads, YouTube, Mailchimp, and more.

Insights the dashboard provides:

The data in this dashboard updates automatically – no need for regular manual refreshes or uploads. You can use the dashboard in Coupler.io or get it as a Looker Studio template.

Web analytics dashboard

This 4-page web analytics dashboard template provides daily updates on key product and marketing metrics, such as purchases, active users, and revenue. You can open it every morning to see the growth of your clients’ daily traffic, conversions, user engagement, and much more.

Insights the dashboard provides:

It only takes a few minutes to sign up for Coupler.io and populate the template with your GA4 data. Find a version of this dashboard in your favorite BI tool:

Google Analytics dashboard for multiple properties

Chances are you’re managing several websites at once, but you haven’t ever compared their performance side-by-side. This dashboard aggregates data from multiple GA4 properties in a single page. You can view traffic and engagement from different sites in one place – no need to jump between multiple tabs in your browser.

Insights the report provides:

This dashboard template is available in Looker Studio. To get a copy for your agency, simply create a free Coupler.io account.

Landing page performance dashboard

This one-page dashboard helps you understand how effectively your landing pages drive traffic and convert visitors into customers for your clients. It pulls data from GA4 and Google Search Console and displays key performance metrics for each page, such as impressions, clicks, total users, new users, average session duration, and key events.

Insights the dashboard provides:

This template is available for free with a Coupler.io account. It also updates automatically on a schedule of your choice. Get started in 5 minutes in either Google Sheets or Looker Studio:

Customer acquisition dashboard for HubSpot or Pipedrive

The customer acquisition dashboard for HubSpot reveals how leads move through the acquisition funnel — from ad impressions to CRM conversions. It combines HubSpot data with marketing data from GA4 and all major ad platforms like Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads, etc. This can help your agency identify funnel inefficiencies, optimize ad spend, and refine lead-generation strategies to maximize revenue for clients.

Insights the dashboard provides:

A version of this template is also available for Pipedrive. To get a free copy of either one, sign up for Coupler.io and sync your CRM data in minutes.

As client preferences and reporting technology evolve, automation has never been so important for agencies. No, it’s not a silver bullet, but it’s a proven way to save time and keep clients happy. Ready to get started with automated reporting? Sign up for free and explore templates or custom solutions with Coupler.io.

Automate marketing agency reporting with Coupler.io

Get started for free

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