5 Ways Excel Helps in Your Digital Marketing Strategies

Many people equate Excel with accountants and mathematicians. And, the thinking is not entirely wrong. The Microsoft package has provided many benefits to them.

But, more and more departments are realizing the value of Excel. The uses extend beyond the basic functionality of mathematical formulas. Departments like marketing can simplify their work with some of the Excel functions.

Perhaps, one of the most critical areas is data management. The teams collect a lot of data that will need proper organizing. After that comes the analysis and report presentation. Only then can the teams know what is working or not.

Now, imagine someone having to do all these without the right tools. It would be time-consuming and tedious. And, that is not all, the probability of errors is very high. But, with tools like Excel, marketers get a lot of help with the different functionalities.

Our article looks at how Excel helps in your digital marketing strategies. Let’s dive into it.

1. VLOOKUP Function for Marketers

Not many people know about Vlookup or vertical lookup. This often-overlooked Excel function is a lifesaver. It provides a simple way to compare data from multiple ranges. Do take a minute to learn how to use VLOOKUP in Excel by clicking on the link. You need to get comfortable with some of the elements in the formulae. These are:-

• Lookup_value which refers to what you want to lookup
• Table_array is where you will look for the value
• Col_index_num which contains the range of the value to return
• Range_lookup refers to an approximate or exact match return.

The VLOOKUP formula to master is =VLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, Col_index_num, [range_lookup(for approximate or exact match])

Let’s take the example of PPC marketing. It helps to know how effective the campaigns are. With VLOOKUP, you can easily compare data month on month. All you need is the shared look_value. It then becomes easy to pull the relevant information from different spreadsheets.

The VLOOKUP function is also fantastic when bringing together different sources of data. Take the example of analyzing product sales from, say Facebook to Google. Marketers can easily look up values from different data sets by pulling them into each other.

From the first impression, VLOOKUP can seem pretty daunting. But, once you get the hang of it, it becomes a handy tool for managing large amounts of marketing data.

2. SEO Tracking With Excel

According to a digital marketing agency in Milwaukee, SEO is an effective tool for collecting leads. But what is SEO marketing? Well, it is any steps marketers take to get good rankings on the search engines. But, the process is competitive, requiring the use of the right keywords.

It is important for marketers to track words and phrases that will bring traffic to their sites. And, all that is possible using Excel spreadsheets.

Marketers can achieve several things with Excel. These include:-

• Organize keyword data in rows or columns.
• Segmenting the data, thus making them easier to use. Imagine a spreadsheet with hundreds of rows. It would be hard to look for a specific word manually. A function like =IF will simplify the task. All you need to do is classify the category and Excel will search and group the SEO keywords for you.
• Pivot tables help in the evaluation of large data sets. Marketers can identify positive or negative trends in the data. They can also organize links, URLs, or even links.

3. Filtering and Sorting Data With Excel

Data is the lifeline for marketers. Yet, it can be a challenge to manage or work with large amounts of information. The sorting and filtering function in Excel helps manage such tasks. You can easily isolate any components within the data sets.

And, the function is quite easy to use. All you need to have is the data you want to work on.  Select the column and click on the editing group tab then select the sort and filter button. And, it gets better.

Now, decide how you want the tool to handle the data. You can base it on alphabetic order, size, number, or dates. Let’s take the example of sorting a spreadsheet based on product prices. You have the option of highest to lowest or vice versa. And, Excel will automatically adjust the table as per your sorting or filtering. It allows you to organize your data in any way you want.

4. Excel for Data Presentation

As we have stated, marketers work with a lot of data. All this data has no meaning for other people who may not be involved in collecting them. The marketers must analyze and draw insights from all this information.

Then comes the most critical part. They must find a simple way to present the information to other stakeholders. The teams must show that their marketing strategies are working.

The truth is, no one wants to sit through a presentation full of numbers and spreadsheets. That is where Excel can provide an effective solution.

• Charts and graphs help with the visual presentation of the data. It helps simplify the data while presenting it in an easy-to-digest manner. You don’t even have to have a full chart or graph. Sparklines allow for the insertion of graphs or charts in single cells. They are a useful tool when tracking trends within a series of values.
• Diagrams work well for hierarchical data. Take the example of a flow chart that shows a progression from point A to B.
• Borders and highlights allow you to draw the listener’s eyes to specific parts of the spreadsheets. Excel allows for highlighting with different colors, depending on what you want to communicate.
• Histograms help in presenting frequency distribution data.

5. Noteworthy Marketing Templates in Excel

Microsoft Excel comes with some excellent templates for marketers. It will save the teams a lot of time by not having to develop everything from scratch. These include:-

• Budgeting templates to help with the arduous task of planning marketing budgets.
• Excel marketing dashboard that gives an overview of all activities visual cues like charts make it easy to digest the information. The teams will know the effectiveness of the marketing activities.
• Social media schedulers will ease the task of remembering to post on the platforms.
• Onpage SEO template for reviewing, updating, and analyzing SEO processes
• Annual marketing calendar with customizable sections for each part of the marketing strategy
• Google Ads campaign tracker to manage campaigns on different platforms.

Do take the time to explore what Excel has to offer in terms of templates. This Microsoft package has some pleasant surprises for marketers.

Final Thoughts

Excel is a wonderful package for marketers. True, at first glance it can be quite daunting. But, all you need to do is take the time to learn what it has to offer.  Managing large amounts of data will be a breeze.

Once you input the information in the spreadsheets, let Excel take over. You can analyze data and generate insights for all your marketing activities. Presenting reports to management is easy with visual cues like charts and graphs.

And, the tons of templates frees the team from managing everything from scratch. You get access to calendars, SEO management, social media scheduling, and so much more. Remove manual processes when designing and implementing your marketing strategies with Excel.

We have looked at some of the best Excel tools for marketers. Yet, this does not even scratch the surface of the tons of functionalities in the package