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Collecting and analyzing data helps track how well your business is doing. Since some of your marketing budget may not bring results, it’s important to find out which part and adjust your strategy. According to McKinsey, data reporting can help reduce marketing costs by up to 30%.
Just like a speedometer shows how fast you're driving, a good report shows how your marketing efforts are performing. It helps you understand what’s working and what needs to improve. Adding data storytelling makes these reports easier to understand and helps teams make better, faster decisions.
In this article, we are going to cover what data reporting is, how to create a data report, and what dashboards you can use as a guide or template.
Note: This blog post was originally published in 2021 and has been updated to reflect the latest trends and best practices in marketing reporting as of 2025.
Data reporting is the process of collecting, organizing, analyzing, and presenting data to support better decision-making. It transforms raw data into structured, actionable insights that help businesses monitor performance, identify trends, and guide strategy. It’s also essential for meeting industry regulations by providing accurate and detailed reports.
Presenting data in a clear and concise manner and providing timely access to data through reporting enables stakeholders to make proactive decisions based on the most recent insights.
Most often, it's presented in the form of tables, graphs, or charts.
Also, you shouldn't forget that:
With modern martech tools, you can analyze past events, track real-time activity, and even predict future customer actions. By collecting the right data, you can uncover insights, spot issues early, and solve them before they grow.
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Data reporting focuses on showing what is happening by collecting, organizing, and summarizing data into reports. It helps teams and stakeholders see the current status of performance, trends, and outcomes through charts, tables, or dashboards.
Data analysis, on the other hand, goes a step further by exploring why something is happening. It involves examining the data to identify patterns, causes, and relationships that can guide decision-making.
While data reporting helps present information in a clear and structured way, data analysis turns that information into deeper insights. Both are essential; reporting gives you the facts, and analysis helps you understand and act on them. Importantly, data analysis depends on accurate reporting to draw the right conclusions.
There are different types of data reports, each serving a specific purpose in business analysis and decision-making. Below, we’ll cover the key types and how they help track and improve performance.
Performance reports are used to measure a company’s results over a specific time period, such as a month or quarter. Growth reports help forecast future performance and compare the business’s position against competitors. Both use key metrics like sales, revenue, market share, and customer acquisition cost to provide a full view of business health.
Example: A quarterly report might show sales numbers, revenue, advertising expenses, AOV, and CAC—helping stakeholders understand how the business is performing and where improvements are needed.
These reports provide real-time insights into what's happening in the business at any given moment. By tracking live data, they help teams quickly respond to changes, fix issues, and improve efficiency in day-to-day operations.
Example: A real-time website dashboard showing traffic and conversions lets you monitor customer behavior and campaign performance as it happens, so you can make quick adjustments when needed.
Historical analysis reports help evaluate past actions and performance, facilitating a deeper understanding of trends and informed decision-making. Businesses can identify growth patterns and areas needing improvement by comparing data over a period.
Example: A yearly sales report comparing performance over several years could highlight trends in sales growth or decline, helping to pinpoint successful strategies or areas for improvement.
By employing statistical techniques and machine learning, predictive analysis reports analyze current or historical data to draw meaningful conclusions and forecast future events. This forward-looking approach helps in better planning and preparedness.
Example: A report predicting the next quarter’s sales based on historical data and industry trends could help in inventory planning and budget allocation.
Benchmarking reports compare a business's performance against industry standards or competitors, providing a relative understanding of the business's position in the market.
Example: A report comparing your marketing ROI against industry standards could unveil where your marketing efforts stand compared to the broader market.
These reports aim to identify errors, issues, or areas of improvement within business operations, aiding in maintaining the quality and efficiency of processes. Operational reports are crucial for tracking daily operations and performance, providing detailed insights into activities such as logistics, staffing, and inventory management.
Example: A report identifying bottlenecks in the production process could help find solutions to enhance production efficiency.
These reports go beyond showing numbers, they analyze the data to offer helpful insights and suggestions. They help businesses understand what’s working, what’s not, and what changes can lead to better results.
Example: A report that analyzes customer behavior and recommends specific marketing strategies can help improve engagement and boost conversions by showing what actions are most effective.
Visual data reports use charts, graphs, and tables to present information in a clear and easy-to-understand format. They help stakeholders quickly grasp complex data, spot trends, and make informed decisions without digging through raw numbers. These reports are especially useful for presentations and team discussions.
Example: A visual report showing customer demographics, such as age, location, and preferences, can help marketing teams better understand their target audience and tailor campaigns more effectively.
These reports involve automated data transfers, preparation, and reporting to save time and ensure accuracy, making the process more efficient. In contrast, ad hoc reports are flexible, on-demand reports created to address immediate analytical needs.
Example: A monthly report automatically generated and sent to stakeholders displaying key performance indicators could streamline the reporting process and keep stakeholders informed.
Financial reports give a clear view of a company’s financial health by tracking revenue, expenses, and profits. Reports like balance sheets and income statements help with budgeting, planning, cost control, and staying compliant with financial regulations.
Example: A monthly financial report showing revenue, expenses, and net profit helps leadership evaluate performance, adjust budgets, and plan for future growth.
Sales and marketing reports are designed to help teams track key performance indicators (KPIs) like revenue, conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs. These reports evaluate the success of marketing campaigns and sales strategies, providing insights to optimize future efforts.
Example: A monthly sales and marketing report might display total sales, ad spend, conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs, enabling teams to assess campaign effectiveness and adjust strategies accordingly.
IT performance reports monitor system performance, network efficiency, and cybersecurity metrics. They help IT teams identify issues early, ensure systems run smoothly, and maintain security standards. Key metrics often include uptime, response times, and incident counts.
Example: A monthly IT performance report might track server uptime, network latency, and the number of security incidents, helping the IT department address problems proactively and improve overall system reliability.
Data reporting is crucial for businesses for various reasons, as it helps in informed decision-making and strategy optimization. Here are some points elucidating the importance of data reporting for businesses:
Data reports play a crucial role in transforming raw information into actionable insights, which are vital for making informed decisions. They help understand the current situation, predict future trends, and make choices that propel the business forward.
Through regular data reporting, performance monitoring assesses different sectors' effectiveness, pinpointing improvement areas. Concurrently, data-driven insights promote continuous improvement by highlighting strengths and weaknesses, thereby guiding focused efforts for better results.
By analyzing data over time, businesses can identify patterns and trends that can be harnessed for competitive advantage. It also helps in understanding market dynamics and customer behaviors.
Data reporting can help identify areas where costs can be reduced without compromising quality. Expense reports are essential tools for businesses to monitor and manage their overhead expenses, ensuring money is used effectively. It also helps in optimizing resource allocation to get the best returns.
Data reports facilitate communication within the organization by providing a clear and factual basis for discussions. It ensures everyone is on the same page regarding performance, goals, and strategies.
Accurate reporting ensures that the business complies with legal, financial, and operational requirements. It also fosters a culture of accountability as performance and results are documented and reviewed.
Real-time data reporting helps identify issues as they happen, allowing for quick responses. It prevents small problems from turning into bigger ones by enabling timely action. This leads to smoother operations and faster decision-making across the business.
Measuring return on investment (ROI) through accurate data reporting helps businesses understand the value of their initiatives. It allows them to assess what’s working, justify past investments, and make smarter decisions about where to spend next. This ensures better financial planning and resource allocation.
Customer analytics helps enhance business understanding of customer behavior and preferences, aiding in analyzing their needs, preferences, and issues, which in turn improves products, services, and customer satisfaction.
Having a robust data reporting system can provide a competitive advantage as it helps in reacting quickly to market changes, optimizing strategies, and staying ahead of competitors.
Data reporting provides the historical data and current insights necessary for effective long-term strategic planning. By investing in effective data reporting, businesses enhance their operational efficiency and build a foundation for sustainable growth and success.
Data reporting helps businesses optimize resource allocation by revealing how personnel, materials, and budgets are used. It highlights inefficiencies, guides smarter decisions, and supports strategic planning. By analyzing customer and operational data, companies can improve productivity, target efforts effectively, and stay competitive in a fast-changing market.
The data reporting process consists of three main stages: data collection, data analysis, and data presentation.
In short, this process turns raw information into meaningful insights that support decision-making and strategic planning.
By analyzing data, you can make informed decisions and test working hypotheses. You can specify where your company’s resources go, what progress has been made, and what your company should focus on most.
Want to know how to write a data analysis report? Let’s look at the steps you need to take to create what perfectly fits your company:
Step 1: Determine the Report’s Purpose
Step 2: Define Metrics and Data Sources
Step 3: Ensure Accurate Data Collection
Step 4: Design and Build the Report
Step 5: Establish Monitoring and Update Frequency
These steps form a structured approach to creating comprehensive and insightful data reports. By adhering to these steps, you will be able to produce reports that provide valuable insights, aid in informed decision-making, and effectively channel resources toward priority areas in your company.
Using the right tools can streamline data collection, analysis, and visualization, making the entire reporting process faster and more accurate. Here are some reliable tools that support efficient and insightful data reporting:
Effective data reporting is about sharing information from data in a clear and easy way so that people can make good decisions.
When creating a data report, avoid including too much information. Focus on the key metrics that matter most to your goals. Simple, clear reports are easier to understand and act on, helping stakeholders stay focused on what truly drives performance and avoiding confusion from unnecessary data points.
Use charts, graphs, and visual elements to make complex data easy to understand. Pick data reporting tools that match your needs, are easy to use, and can connect with your data sources. The right tool helps turn complicated information into clear, actionable insights for better decision-making.
Clearly explain where the data comes from and how it was collected to avoid misinterpretation. Providing context helps stakeholders better understand the insights and make informed decisions. A well-framed report ensures that complex data is interpreted correctly and aligned with business goals.
Ensure data quality, sources, and reporting periods remain consistent to build trust in your reports. Using a single, centralized platform helps avoid mismatches and ensures everyone works with the same accurate information. Consistency leads to more reliable insights and better decision-making across teams.
Set up clear reporting processes and keep stakeholders informed to avoid confusion or misinterpretation. Involve them through regular feedback to improve the reporting system over time. This ensures everyone is on the same page and helps create more effective, goal-driven reports.
Follow all legal and organizational standards for data privacy, security, and documentation. Clearly record your methods, data sources, and assumptions to ensure transparency and make your reports easy to audit when needed. This builds trust and keeps your reporting process accountable and compliant.
These guidelines help make data reporting clear, accurate, and effective for better decisions and communication. Interactivity boosts engagement and makes the data easier to understand for everyone involved.
Each business has unique reporting needs, even within the same industry. Data reporting is primarily focused on presenting data in a structured format to meet those needs effectively. Start by planning your reports based on how often they're needed and who needs them, PPC specialists and CMOs often require different metrics.
Below are data reports that may be useful to you.
When you need to assess performance and monitor your KPIs in real time, an overall report is what you need. For example, this CMO dashboard from OWOX BI shows the performance of all marketing channels, traffic, advertising platforms, website user bahavior metrics, attribution models and company growth.
Overall reports are also actively used for monthly, annual, or any other summaries. For example, this one from OWOX BI shows the effectiveness of a website’s performance.
If you want to get such dashboards customized specifically for your company’s needs, book a demo with our specialists!
Note! Of course, not all templates are suitable for everyone. But you can adjust these dashboards and use the most successful ideas for yourself. Looker Studio , one of the most popular data visualization services, has a great gallery of dashboard solutions (see the Looker StudioReport Gallery).
Let’s have a look at some data reporting examples.
Website traffic is multichannel. Whether it’s Facebook ads, Google Ads, SEO, or referrals, as a marketing leader, you need to know whether your digital marketing efforts are paying off and generating the desired ROI. A marketing data report is essential for assessing the effectiveness of marketing strategies, providing insights into both successful and underperforming efforts.
Questions you can answer with this dashboard:
Creating a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) report can be crucial for reviewing the performance of advertising campaigns and for making data-driven decisions. A good PPC report should be clear, concise, and provide insights that can be acted upon.
What is covered in this template:
Get a clear overview and analysis of your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, Twitter Ads campaigns and Google Analytics 4 events on one Google Looker Studio dashboard.
This ecommerce report would typically include metrics crucial for understanding the online retail performance of the Google Merchandise Store. It would provide insights into sales figures, website visitor behaviors, and conversion rates.
What is covered in this template:
This website performance report provides an overview of a website’s overall performance, including speed, uptime, user engagement, and more.
What is covered in this template:
An SEO report focuses on a website's performance in organic search. It covers keyword rankings, backlink profiles, and organic traffic metrics.
What is covered in this template:
This organic report dives into the performance of organic traffic acquisition, focusing on metrics like traffic volume, behavior, and conversions from organic search.
What is covered in this template:
These outlines provide a structured way of presenting vital information in each report to help stakeholders understand the performance in each respective area and make informed decisions accordingly. Each section within the reports can be visualized using graphs, charts, and tables for clearer comprehension.
Correct and timely reports are critical to your company’s success. Therefore, it’s important not only to choose the tool that best suits your business needs but also to ensure that all interested colleagues can access it and work with it.
After all, to remain relevant in a constantly changing market, you need to use all available information. To stay competitive in a constantly changing market, your data should work for you, facilitating data-driven decision making and helping you act on the insights it provides.
There are two common ways to improve data reports:
As you can see, it all comes down to using modern cloud-based business intelligence tools that are flexible enough to evaluate and visualize complex data. OWOX BI is easy to use and helps you automate data collection and get ready-made marketing reports without the help of analysts.
With the development of martech tools, you no longer need to be a professional analyst to build data reports and get answers to help reach your business objectives. All-in-one platforms such as OWOX BI help you manage your disparate data sources and evaluate your marketing effectiveness.
When you control your data, you can get valuable insights and grow your business. If you want to start creating modern reports, test hypotheses faster, and keep your hand on the pulse of your business, sign up for a demo! Our specialists will show you how you can quickly achieve your business goals with the help of OWOX BI.
