HubSpot Data Viz: Reports That Don’t Bore Readers

Data Visualization Best Practices for Professionals Using HubSpot Marketing Hub (2026)

Are your marketing reports leaving your audience glazed over? Effective data visualization is the key to unlocking actionable insights from your marketing data. But how do you create compelling visuals that actually drive decisions?

Step 1: Accessing the Custom Report Builder

HubSpot’s Marketing Hub offers a powerful custom report builder that allows you to create visualizations tailored to your specific needs. To access it, navigate to Reports > Reports > Create custom report in the main navigation menu. You’ll see options to start from scratch or use a template. For this tutorial, we’ll start from scratch to have full control.

Step 2: Selecting Your Data Source

The first step in building your custom report is choosing your data source. HubSpot categorizes data into “single object” and “cross object” reports. For many marketing analyses, a single object report is sufficient. Here’s how:

1. Click on Single object.
2. Choose the object you want to report on. Common choices for marketers include:
   • Contacts: For analyzing lead generation and engagement.
   • Companies: For account-based marketing insights.
   • Deals: For tracking sales pipeline performance.
   • Marketing Emails: For assessing email campaign effectiveness.
   • Landing Pages: For understanding conversion rates.
3. Click Next.

Pro Tip: If you’re unsure which object to choose, consider the primary question you’re trying to answer. For example, if you want to know which marketing emails generated the most leads, select “Marketing Emails.”

Step 3: Choosing Your Chart Type

Now comes the fun part: selecting the right chart type to visualize your data. HubSpot offers a variety of options, each suited for different purposes. Here are some recommendations:

• Bar Chart: Ideal for comparing values across different categories. For example, comparing website traffic from different sources (organic search, social media, paid advertising).
• Line Chart: Best for showing trends over time. For example, tracking website traffic growth month-over-month.
• Pie Chart: Useful for showing proportions of a whole. For example, the percentage of leads generated by different marketing channels. Warning: Pie charts can be difficult to read if you have too many categories, so use them sparingly.
• Area Chart: Similar to a line chart, but with the area under the line filled in, making it easier to see the magnitude of changes over time.
• Funnel Chart: Excellent for visualizing the stages of a process, such as the sales funnel or a marketing campaign.

To select your chart type, click on the Visualization tab in the report builder. A dropdown menu will appear with the available options. Choose the one that best suits your data and the message you want to convey.

Common Mistake: Choosing a chart type that doesn’t accurately represent the data. For example, using a pie chart to compare website traffic from different sources, which is better suited for a bar chart.

Expected Outcome: A chart that clearly and accurately displays your data, making it easy to identify trends and patterns.

Step 4: Configuring Your Chart

Once you’ve chosen your chart type, you need to configure it to display the data you want to see. This involves selecting the appropriate properties and metrics.

1. In the Data tab, you’ll see a list of available properties for the object you selected.
2. Drag and drop the properties you want to use onto the X-axis and Y-axis of the chart. For example, if you’re creating a bar chart to compare website traffic from different sources, you might drag “Source” to the X-axis and “Page Views” to the Y-axis.
3. You can also add filters to narrow down your data. For example, you might filter the data to only show website traffic from a specific time period. To add a filter, click on the Filters tab and select the properties you want to filter by.

Pro Tip: Use calculated properties to create custom metrics that aren’t available by default. For example, you could create a calculated property to track the cost per lead for your marketing campaigns.

We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. We needed to track the ROI of our social media campaigns, but HubSpot didn’t have a built-in metric for that. We created a calculated property that divided the revenue generated by social media campaigns by the cost of those campaigns. This allowed us to easily track the ROI of our social media efforts.

Step 5: Customizing the Appearance

Now that your chart is configured, you can customize its appearance to make it more visually appealing and easier to understand. HubSpot offers a variety of customization options, including:

• Colors: Choose colors that are consistent with your brand and that make the chart easy to read.
• Labels: Add labels to the axes and data points to make the chart more informative.
• Titles: Give your chart a clear and concise title that accurately reflects the data it displays.
• Fonts: Select fonts that are easy to read and that are consistent with your brand.

To customize the appearance of your chart, click on the Customize tab in the report builder. Here you can change colors, fonts, add labels, and adjust the chart’s overall layout. For example, in the “Chart Colors” section, you can select your brand’s primary color palette. In the “Labels” section, you can choose to display data labels on each bar in a bar chart. These small details can make a big difference in how effectively your audience understands your data.

Common Mistake: Using too many colors or fonts, which can make the chart look cluttered and confusing. Stick to a consistent color palette and use clear, easy-to-read fonts.

Expected Outcome: A visually appealing chart that is easy to understand and that accurately reflects your data.

Step 6: Saving and Sharing Your Report

Once you’re happy with your chart, you can save it and share it with your team. To save your report, click on the Save button in the upper right-hand corner of the report builder. You’ll be prompted to give your report a name and description.

To share your report, click on the Share button. You’ll have several options for sharing your report, including:

• Adding it to a dashboard: This is a great way to keep track of key metrics over time.
• Sharing it with specific users: This allows you to control who has access to your report.
• Exporting it as a PDF or image: This is useful for sharing your report with people who don’t have access to HubSpot.

Pro Tip: Schedule your reports to be automatically emailed to your team on a regular basis. This will ensure that everyone stays informed about key marketing metrics.

I had a client last year who was struggling to track the performance of their marketing campaigns. They were using a variety of different tools and spreadsheets, but they weren’t able to get a clear picture of what was working and what wasn’t. We implemented HubSpot Marketing Hub and created a series of custom reports to track key metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, and conversion rates. Within a few months, they were able to identify the most effective marketing channels and optimize their campaigns accordingly. As a result, they saw a significant increase in leads and sales.

Step 7: Example Case Study: Analyzing Website Traffic Sources

Let’s walk through a concrete example: analyzing website traffic sources to identify which channels are driving the most visitors.

1. Navigate to Reports > Reports > Create custom report and select Single object > Contacts.
2. Choose a Bar chart as your visualization type.
3. Drag “Original Source” to the X-axis and “Count of Contacts” to the Y-axis.
4. Add a filter to only include contacts created in the last quarter by clicking Add filter and selecting “Create Date.” Set the filter to “Last Quarter.”
5. Customize the chart by changing the colors to match your brand. For example, if your brand colors are blue and green, use those colors for the bars.
6. Give the chart a title like “Website Traffic by Source – Q3 2026.”
7. Save the report and add it to your marketing dashboard.

Expected Outcome: The bar chart will show you the number of contacts generated by each traffic source (e.g., organic search, social media, paid advertising) in the last quarter. You can then use this data to optimize your marketing efforts and focus on the channels that are driving the most traffic.

According to Statista, internet penetration continues to grow globally, meaning understanding your online traffic sources is more vital than ever. This simple HubSpot report can give you that understanding.

To further refine your analysis, consider incorporating KPI tracking to monitor the effectiveness of your various marketing channels.

Mastering data visualization in HubSpot Marketing Hub is a skill that will pay dividends. By following these steps, you can transform raw data into compelling visuals that inform your marketing strategy and drive tangible results.