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One way to populate a column in a certain direction depending on whether there is data or not in a different column is to use an IF statement or a combination of IF and OFFSET functions. Here is an example using IF function:

1. In the cell where you want to start populating the column, enter the formula =IF(ISBLANK(A1),"",A1).
2. Copy the formula and paste it down the column.
3. This formula checks if cell A1 is blank. If it is, then the cell it's in in the new column will remain blank. If A1 has data, the data will be entered in the new column.

With OFFSET function:

1. In the cell where you want to start populating the column, enter the formula =OFFSET(A1,0,1,1,1).
2. Copy the formula and paste it down the column.
3. This formula checks the cell one column to the right of A1. If it has data, the data will be entered in the new column; if it's blank, so will the cell.

Note: These formulas assume that you want to populate the new column next to the column with the data. If you want to populate it in a different direction, you may need to adjust the OFFSET function parameters.