Last Updated on September 19, 2024 by admin
Sometimes, Excel seems too good to be true. All I have to do is enter a formula, and pretty much anything I’d ever need to do manually can be done automatically.Sometimes, Excel seems too good to be true. All I have to do is enter a formula, and pretty much anything I’d ever need to do manually can be done automatically. Need to merge two sheets with similar data? Do simple math? Combine information in multiple cells? Excel can do it all. In this post, I’ll review the best tips, tricks, and shortcuts for taking your Excel game to the next level. The best part? You don’t need advanced Excel knowledge. What is Excel? Microsoft Excel is powerful data visualization and analysis software. It uses spreadsheets to store, organize, and track data sets with formulas and functions. Excel is used by marketers, accountants, data analysts, and other professionals. It’s part of the Microsoft Office suite of products. Excel alternatives include Google Sheets and Numbers. Excel is primarily used to create financial documents because of its strong computational powers. You’ll often find the software in accounting offices and teams because it allows accountants to automatically see sums, averages, and totals. With Excel, they can easily make sense of their business data. While Excel is primarily known as an accounting tool, professionals in any field can use its features and formulas — especially marketers — because it’s valuable for tracking any type of data. It removes the need to spend hours and hours counting cells or copying and pasting performance numbers. Excel typically has a shortcut or quick fix that speeds up the process. There are several downloaded Excel templates you can use for your marketing needs. You can find some of them below. While these templates will make using Excel less daunting, you still need to understand the basics. Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. Excel Basics There are a million and one things you could do with Excel. However, everything starts with opening an Excel Sheet or Workbook. You can open an Excel Sheet by creating a new one or clicking on an existing one. If you don’t have an existing worksheet, you can create one or choose from the many templates available in Excel. A blank Excel Sheet can be intimidating. However, it gets easier once you familiarize yourself with how the navigation works and what each different menu means. There are usually seven tabs — Home, Insert, Draw, Page Layout, Formulas, Data, Review, and View — all with different functions that help you analyze and present your data. I say “usually” because you can add the Developer tab if needed. To add the Developer tab, click the vertical ellipsis icon at the top of your Excel Sheet. Click More Commands. Switch to the Ribbon view. There, you can choose the tabs you want to appear on your Excel Sheet. Click the checkbox next to Developer to add it. After closing the menu, the Develop tab should appear on your Excel Sheet. It’s okay if you don’t know everything about these menus yet. You’ll learn with practice. As you’re just starting, here are some basic commands I suggest you become familiar with: Creating a new spreadsheet from scratch. Executing basic computations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Writing and formatting column text and titles. Using Excel’s auto-fill features. Adding or deleting single columns, rows, and spreadsheets. Keeping column and row titles visible as you scroll past them in a spreadsheet so you know what data you’re filling in as you move further down the document. Sorting your data in alphabetical order. We’ll explore some of these functions in-depth later in the article. To whet your appetite, let’s consider the auto-fill feature. You likely already know this quick trick if you have any basic Excel knowledge. But to cover our bases, allow me to show you the glory of autofill. Autofill lets you quickly fill adjacent cells with several data types, including values, series, and formulas. There are multiple ways to deploy this feature, but the fill handle is among the easiest. Select the cells you want to be the source, locate the fill handle in the lower-right corner of the cell, and either drag the fill handle to cover the cells you want to fill or just double click: Similarly, sorting is an important feature you’ll want to know when organizing your data in Excel. Sometimes, you may have a data list with no organization whatsoever. Maybe you exported a list of your marketing contacts or blog posts. Whatever the case, Excel’s sort feature will help you alphabetize any list. Click on the data in the column you want to sort. Then click on the “Data” tab in your toolbar and look for the “Sort” option on the left. If the “A” is on top of the “Z,” you can just click on that button once. If the “Z” is on top of the “A,” click on the button twice. When the “A” is on top of the “Z,” your list will be sorted in alphabetical order. However, when the “Z” is on top of the “A,” your list will be sorted in reverse alphabetical order. Image Source Next, let’s explore more of the basics of Excel (along with advanced features). How to Use Excel To use Excel, you only need to input the data into the rows and columns. And then, you’ll use formulas and functions to turn that data into insights. We’ll go over the best formulas and functions you need to know. But first, let’s look at the types of documents you can create using the software. That way, you have an overarching understanding of how to use Excel daily. Documents You Can Create in Excel Not sure how you can actually use Excel in your team? Here is a list of documents you can create: Income statements. You can use an Excel spreadsheet to track a company’s sales activity and financial health. Balance sheets. Balance