Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit our website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and provide information to website owners about how users interact with their sites.

Cookies can be "persistent" or "session" cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your device until they expire or are deleted, while session cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your web browser.

2. How We Use Cookies

Soft Hollow Digital Marketing uses cookies to:

• Ensure our website functions properly and securely
• Remember your preferences and settings
• Analyse how you use our website to improve user experience
• Provide personalised content and advertising
• Measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements

3. Types of Cookies We Use

3.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. Without these cookies, services you have asked for cannot be provided.

3.2 Performance and Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, such as which pages are visited most often and if users encounter error messages. This information helps us improve how our website works.

3.3 Functional Cookies

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personal features. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages.

3.4 Marketing and Advertising Cookies

These cookies are used to track visitors across websites. They are used to display advertisements that are relevant and engaging for individual users and thereby more valuable for publishers and third-party advertisers.

4. Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on our website are set by third-party services that appear on our pages. We work with the following third-party providers:

4.1 Google Services

• Google Analytics: Website performance and usage analytics
• Google Ads: Advertising and conversion tracking
• Google Tag Manager: Managing marketing and analytics tags

4.2 Social Media Platforms

• Facebook: Social media integration and advertising
• LinkedIn: Professional networking and B2B advertising
• Twitter: Social media sharing and engagement

4.3 Other Third-Party Services

• Hotjar: User behaviour analytics and feedback
• Mailchimp: Email marketing and newsletter management
• Calendly: Meeting scheduling integration

These third-party providers have their own privacy policies and cookie policies. We recommend reviewing their policies to understand how they use cookies.

5. Legal Basis for Using Cookies

We use cookies based on the following legal grounds:

5.1 Consent

For non-essential cookies (analytics, functional, and marketing cookies), we obtain your explicit consent through our cookie banner and preference centre.

5.2 Legitimate Interest

For essential cookies necessary for website functionality and security, we rely on our legitimate interest in providing you with a functional website service.

5.3 Contract

Some cookies are necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations when providing services to clients.

6. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have several options for managing cookies on our website:

6.1 Cookie Preference Centre

Use our cookie preference centre to:

• Accept all cookies
• Accept only necessary cookies
• Customise your preferences by cookie category
• Withdraw consent at any time

6.2 Browser Settings

You can also control cookies through your web browser settings:

• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
• Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
• Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data

Please note: Disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality and prevent you from using certain features.

6.3 Opt-Out Links

You can opt out of specific third-party cookies:

• Google Analytics Opt-out
• Facebook Cookie Controls
• LinkedIn Cookie Policy

7. Cookie Retention

Different cookies have different retention periods:

• Session Cookies: Deleted when you close your browser
• Persistent Cookies: Remain on your device for the specified duration or until manually deleted
• Flash Cookies: Stored separately and managed through Adobe Flash settings

We regularly review and update our cookie retention periods to ensure they are proportionate and necessary for their intended purpose.

8. International Transfers

Some of our third-party cookie providers may transfer your data outside the UK. When this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• Adequacy decisions by the UK government
• Standard contractual clauses
• Provider certification under recognised frameworks
• Other appropriate technical and organisational measures

9. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in our use of cookies
• New cookie technologies or providers
• Changes in applicable laws and regulations
• Improvements to our website functionality

When we make significant changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
• Notify you through our cookie banner if consent is required
• Send email notifications for material changes (where applicable)

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

For complaints about our use of cookies, you may also contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.