As a sole trader, Caroline is personally responsible for compliance with this policy. Digitally Direct West does not have a dedicated Data Protection Officer (one is not legally required for a business of this size and type), but all data protection queries are handled directly by Caroline at the email address above.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect personal data directly from you, and automatically through your use of the website. We may collect the following categories:

• Enquiry/contact data: Name, email address, business name, service of interest, and any message content you submit via the contact form or our booking/enquiry forms.
• Lead magnet / newsletter data: Name and email address when you download a free resource ("freebie") or subscribe to email updates.
• Client and service data: Contact details, business information, and communications relating to any service you purchase (e.g. Power Hour sessions, social media audits, the DIY workbook).
• Payment data: If you purchase a service, payment is processed by our payment provider, Stripe. We do not collect or store your full card details ourselves — see Section 6.
• Technical and usage data: IP address, browser and device type, pages visited, referral source, and interaction data, collected via cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy).
• Correspondence: Any information you provide when you contact us by email, social media, or telephone.

We do not knowingly collect any special category data (e.g. health, religious belief, political opinion) through this website, and ask that you do not include such information in any form or message you send us.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry or request and provide the information you have asked for
• To deliver the free resource, digital product, or service you have signed up for or purchased
• To manage and deliver our services, including scheduling, invoicing, and follow-up communication
• To send you marketing or promotional email communications you have opted in to, via our email marketing platforms (see Section 6). You can unsubscribe at any time
• To process payments for services or products via Stripe
• To manage our customer relationship and enquiry records through our CRM/website platform (LeadConnector, part of the HighLevel platform)
• To run and measure the performance of social media advertising, including on Meta platforms (Facebook/Instagram), where you have consented to marketing cookies
• To analyse and improve this website and understand how visitors use it, via Google Analytics
• To comply with our legal, tax, and accounting obligations
• To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent or unauthorised activity

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under GDPR Article 6, we only process your personal data where we have a valid legal basis to do so. We rely on the following:

• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): When you sign up for a free download, subscribe to marketing emails, submit a contact form, or accept non-essential cookies (e.g. Google Analytics, Meta Pixel) via our cookie banner. You may withdraw consent at any time — see Section 8.
• Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): When you purchase a service or product from us, to take steps prior to entering into, and to perform, that contract.
• Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): For essential website functionality, fraud prevention, direct marketing to existing clients about similar services, and general business administration — always balanced against your rights and interests.
• Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): Where we are required to retain data for tax, accounting, or other statutory purposes under Irish law.

5. How We Store and Protect Your Data

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction, including secure hosting, restricted access to systems, and use of reputable, GDPR-compliant third-party platforms for storage and processing.

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. As a general guide:

Where data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

6. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share data only with trusted third-party service providers ("processors") who help us run our business and deliver our services, each of whom is required to handle your data securely and in accordance with GDPR. These currently include:

• LeadConnector / HighLevel — our website, CRM, and enquiry/booking form platform, used to manage contact and lead data
• MailerLite — for sending newsletter and lead magnet email communications you have opted in to
• Stripe — for securely processing service and product payments
• Google Analytics — for website usage analytics
• Meta (Facebook/Instagram) — where you have consented to marketing cookies, for measuring and improving the performance of our social media advertising via the Meta Pixel

We may also disclose your data where required to comply with a legal obligation, protect our rights, or in connection with a sale or restructuring of the business, in which case you will be notified.

7. International Data Transfers

Some of the third-party service providers we use (including LeadConnector/HighLevel, MailerLite, Stripe, Google Analytics, and Meta) are based in, or transfer data to, the United States or other countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, we rely on appropriate safeguards recognised under GDPR, such as the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, or other adequacy mechanisms, to ensure your data continues to receive an equivalent level of protection. You can request further details of these safeguards by contacting us using the details in Section 13.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access: To request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: To request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure: To request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten"), subject to certain legal exceptions
• Right to restrict processing: To request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability: To receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, or have it transferred to another controller
• Right to object: To object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing at any time
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal
• Rights related to automated decision-making: We do not carry out any processing based solely on automated decision-making, including profiling, that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within one month, as required by GDPR (this may be extended by a further two months for complex requests, in which case we will let you know).

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish supervisory authority:

Data Protection Commission
21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland
Website: www.dataprotection.ie

9. Cookies

This website uses cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, understand how it is used, and — where you consent — to support our marketing. Full details of the categories of cookies we use, their purpose, duration, and how to manage your preferences are set out in our separate Cookie Policy, which forms part of this Privacy Policy.

10. Email Marketing

If you download a free resource or otherwise sign up to our mailing list, you consent to receive relevant emails from Digitally Direct West via MailerLite and/or LeadConnector. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email, or by contacting us directly. We will never sell your email address to third parties.

11. Third-Party Links

This website may contain links to third-party websites, including social media platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

12. Children's Privacy

This website and our services are directed at business owners and are not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16 years of age. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us immediately so we can delete it.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:

Digitally Direct West
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.digitallydirectwest.com

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our use of third-party tools, or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.