Privacy Policy

Privacy Notice

This privacy notice explains how Kate Barlow: Branching Out Ltd collects, uses, and protects your personal data. We are committed to handling your information responsibly, transparently, and in accordance with UK data protection laws.

Who is managing your data?

Kate Barlow: Branching Out Ltd is a limited company based in the United Kingdom trading as Branchout Digital. We provide digital strategy, AI consultancy, martech audits, analytics, and performance-focused marketing services.

If you have any questions about this notice or how we use your data, please contact: privacy@branchoutdigital.uk

Key Terms We Use

“Personal data” means any information about an identifiable living person.
“Process” refers to anything we do with that data: collecting, storing, analysing, sharing, deleting, etc.
“We”, “us”, “our” refers to Kate Barlow: Branching Out Ltd t/a Branchout Digital.
“You”, “your” refers to clients, potential clients, website visitors, suppliers, and collaborators.

What information we collect and why

We collect and process only the data necessary to run our business effectively and serve our clients. We do not purchase or rent data from third parties.

Types of data we may collect:

Name, email address, and contact details
Booking and meeting notes (e.g. via Wix and Google Calendar)
Business information shared during consultations
Analytics data from our website (e.g. session duration, pages viewed)
Communication preferences (e.g. newsletter opt-ins)
Payment and invoicing details (when relevant)

Why we collect it:

To provide consulting and strategy services
To manage client relationships and communications
To personalise your experience and improve our content
To meet contractual and legal obligations
To deliver relevant updates, insights, and offers with your consent

Use of Analytics and AI Technologies

We use analytics tools (e.g. Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console) to understand how visitors use our website, helping us improve user experience and the effectiveness of our communications.

We also use AI tools to support our internal workflows, including:

Research and content development
SEO and performance analysis
Prompt kit development for clients
Drafting ideas or summaries for strategy materials
Workflow automations to reduce admin overhead

We do not use AI for profiling or automated decision-making about individuals, and we never feed personal or sensitive client data into public AI systems.

Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract: To deliver the services you’ve requested
Consent: For email marketing and analytics where applicable
Legal obligation: For accounting, record keeping, and regulatory requirements
Recognised Legitimate Interests: To manage relationships, improve our services, and protect our systems (balanced against your rights)
Recognised Legitimate Interests: Where processing falls within a category defined under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 as a recognised legitimate interest, removing the requirement for a separate balancing test.

Your Rights

You have the following rights under UK data protection law:

Right of access: Ask us for copies of your personal data
Right to rectification: Correct any errors or incomplete information
Right to erasure: Request we delete your data in certain situations
Right to restrict processing: Limit how we use your data under specific conditions
Right to object: To certain types of processing (e.g. direct marketing)
Right to data portability: Ask for your data to be transferred to another organisation
Right to withdraw consent: At any time, where processing is based on consent

To exercise these rights, contact privacy@branchoutdigital.uk. We aim to respond within one calendar month. In complex cases, we may extend this timeframe and will let you know.

Who we share your data with

We only share your personal data with trusted service providers that help us operate efficiently. These may include:

Wix
Google Workspace – business operations and communications
Accounting software (QBO) – financial management
Analytics tools (e.g. GA4, Keywords Everywhere rank tracker, Sitebulb) – website performance tracking
Cloud-based project and documentation tools (e.g. Trello, Slack)

All service providers are selected for their privacy and security practices and are bound by confidentiality obligations. Where possible, we ensure data is stored in the UK or with appropriate safeguards in place under UK data transfer laws.

We do not sell or trade your personal data.

Transfers outside the UK

Some of our third-party tools store data outside the UK (e.g. in the EEA or US). Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate legal safeguards are in place, such as:

Adequacy regulations approved by the UK
Standard contractual clauses (SCCs)

How long we retain your data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary:

Financial and transaction records: 7 years (for tax and audit purposes)
Prospect and client contact data: Up to 10 years, unless you request deletion
Website and analytics data: Typically 14–36 months depending on the tool

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link provided.

How to complain

If you have a complaint about how we handle your personal data, please contact us at privacy@branchoutdigital.uk. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days and aim to resolve it within one calendar month. We will keep a record of all complaints received and how they were handled.

If you remain dissatisfied, you can lodge a complaint with:

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

📞 0303 123 1113

🌐 https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

Updates to this policy

This notice will be reviewed regularly and may be updated from time to time.

Last updated: May 2026