Excel Fundamentals

Digital Marketing - Study Notes:

What are spreadsheets?

Spreadsheets are a common type of software application that allow users to present written and numerical data in an understandable way. A typical spreadsheet contains horizontal rows and vertical columns made up of individual cells that can contain data.

Spreadsheets are useful tools for digital marketers. They help them understand data trends and report on campaign performance. Using spreadsheets, they can quickly and easily manipulate data to show the value of their work or forecast outcomes, among other things.

Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are some of the most common spreadsheets, and they share much of the same functionality. So, once you can use one type of spreadsheet effectively, you can quickly adapt and use the others.

How digital marketers use spreadsheets

Digital marketers use spreadsheets to report on data in different ways. For example:

• They create tables to review data sets side by side.
• They create and copy metrics using formulas.
• They create charts to visually represent data.
• They create drop-down menus to control how data is presented.

Suitable file types

You can use different file types and formats to save your spreadsheets in MS Excel. The type you choose depends on your specific needs and requirements, such as whether you need to save multiple tabs or any filters you’ve applied.

Here are some of the most common file formats used by digital marketers:

1. XLSX: This is the default file format for Excel 365, Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and Office Excel 2007. It can save multiple sheets and tabs, formulas, filters, and formatting. However, it can't store visual basic or VBA macro code.
2. XLSM: This is the XML-based and macro-enabled file format for Excel 365 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and Office Excel 2007. It stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets in “.xlm” format. This means you can add functionality like drop down menus and other enhanced functionality to your spreadsheets
3. XLS: This is the standard worksheet for older versions of Excel, such as Excel 97–2003. It can save multiple worksheets and any compatible formatting, formulas, and filters.
4. TXT Unicode Text: This saves a text version of the file. It saves only one sheet, and doesn’t save filters, formulas, or other functionality.
5. TXT Tab Delimited: Again, this saves a text version of the file. When opened in a spreadsheet, you can format the file to include tabs and line breaks. It saves only one sheet, and doesn’t save filters, formulas, or other functionality.
6. PDF: This is a non-editable version of the spreadsheet. It can be suitable for printing, but doesn’t save filters, formulas, or other functionality.
7. CSV: This is a comma-separated values file – which is a delimited text file that uses commas to separate values. It’s a commonly used file type and has a smaller file size. It’s used for uploading and downloading data to digital marketing tools such as Facebook, Google Ads, and Google Analytics. It only saves text and numbers on one sheet or tab. It doesn’t save filters, formulas, formatting, or other dynamic functionality.

Using functions

Excel contains some powerful functions. You can use some of its basic functions to copy and move data.

• You can copy data by right-clicking the cell and choosing Copy or holding CTRL+C.
• You can cut data by right-clicking and choosing Cut or holding CTRL+X.
• You can paste cut or copied data by right-clicking and choosing Paste or holding CTRL+V.

Filling data

When you’re working in Excel, you can fill data automatically in your worksheet cells. You can do this in different ways:

• You can fill a column vertically with the same data. Simply select the area to fill and hold CTRL+D.
• You can fill a column vertically with data that increases in each cell. To do this, click and drag the small square in the bottom right corner of the cell selection in the direction you want to fill the data, up or down, left or right.
• You can choose how to fill data by dragging the small square or pressing CTRL+D and choosing the format button. This is a small icon that appears beside where you’ve filled the data. When you click the format button you can change how the data will look in your selected cells.
• You can also fill row data horizontally, from left to right or vice versa, by clicking and dragging the small square in the bottom right corner of the cell selection and choosing the format button.
• Finally, you can decrease cell values in each cell selection by dragging the small square in the selected cell from bottom to top in columns or from right to left in rows.