Brand strategy & customer experience

Your customers judge you by the little things.
I bring them together.

A slow reply here, a confusing page there, a message that doesn't quite land. Small misses add up to lost customers. I find them across every place customers deal with you, then direct the fixes that get you back to profitable.

I'm Andrew Mele, a brand strategist and customer experience designer.

Request a free intro call See how it works
Andrew Mele

Andrew MeleBrand strategist · CX designer

  • Brand audits
  • CX audits
  • Positioning
  • Messaging
  • Creative direction
  • Customer journeys
  • Service standards
  • Visual identity
  • Team culture & values

What I do

Customers notice everything: your listing, your website, how fast someone calls back, what happens after they pay. Each miss is small. Together, they send people to your competitors. I look at every one from your customers' side and show you which to fix first.

Services

Two audits, plus direction for the fixes.

Start with one or both. Each ends with a plan you can act on. Then, if you want, I direct the fixes while trusted partners do the hands-on work.

Switch between services

How people see you

Brand audit

Your brand is everything people see, hear and feel about your business: your logo, your website, your reviews, the way your team talks. I review all of it and show you where it's clear and consistent, and where it's sending mixed signals.

What I look at

  • Why you're in this business
  • Your website, listings and social pages
  • How you describe what you do
  • How you compare to competitors
  • What search engines and AI tools say about you

What you get

  • A clear mission statement and core values
  • A clear picture of how you come across
  • A sharper message your whole team can use
  • A ranked list of what to fix first
What sounds familiar?

Where I'd start

Check anything that sounds familiar.

I'll suggest which audit fits, and you can ask for it in one click.

What I check

Brand and CX audits follow different paths.

A brand audit works from the inside out, from why you're in business to what people say about you. Choose a step to see what I check.

Switch between audits

Step 1 of 6 · Why you exist

It starts with why.

Before anything customers see, I look at why you're in business and what you stand for. Everything else should grow from this.

What I check

  • Can you say why you're in business in one sentence?
  • Do you have values your team actually uses?
  • Does everyone describe the mission the same way?

Not sure how your business does at each step? Request a free intro call

The Inches Method · how an audit works

Most businesses aren't far off. They're missing by inches.

The Inches Method finds those inches from your customers' side, then ranks them by how much they affect your sales and your customers. The same steps apply to a brand audit, a CX audit or both. Steps 1 to 4 are the audit. Step 5 is optional.

  1. Step 1

    Listen

    We start with your goals, your customers and what you already know is or isn't working.

  2. Step 2

    Walk it

    I go through your business the way your customers do, from the first search to asking for help. I also talk with your customers and your team.

    Brand audit
    How you come across, and how you compare with competitors.
    CX audit
    How easy each step is, and where people wait or give up.
  3. Step 3

    Score it

    I mark what's working, what's getting in the way and what's missing. Then I rank every finding by how much it affects your sales and customer loyalty.

  4. Step 4

    Plan it

    You get a plan in plain English that starts with the changes that pay off fastest.

  5. Step 5 · optional

    Direct and measure

    Trusted partners do the hands-on work, and I direct them so it matches the plan. Then I check again so you can see what improved.

I use modern research tools, including AI, to cover more ground quickly. Every finding and recommendation is checked by me and the people I work with.

What you get

What you'll have at the end of an audit.

  • a

    A clear report

    What's working, what isn't, and why. Written in plain English, with real examples from your business.

  • b

    A ranked list of fixes

    Every finding ordered by how much it affects your sales and your customers, so you know exactly where to start.

  • c

    A walkthrough with your team

    We go through it together, so everyone understands what to do next and why.

  • d

    Direction, if you want it

    Trusted partners do the hands-on work, and I direct them so it matches the plan.

Audit snapshot

Example

A sample page from a report for a local service business. Use the filters to sort it.

  • Google listing and reviewsWorkingStrong reviews and current photos. Keep doing this.
  • Website homepageNeeds workIt takes too long to see what you offer and how to book.
  • Online bookingFix firstAsks for the same details twice, so people give up.
  • Returning callsFix firstMissed calls aren't returned the same day.
  • In-person serviceWorkingStaff are warm and know the work well.
  • After the saleNeeds workNo follow-up, so few reviews or referrals.

Want a snapshot like this for your business? Request a free intro call

Culture & values

Changes only last when your whole team shares the same values.

Good values make a good name. A good name makes a good brand.

Every improvement from an audit is carried out by people: owners, executives, managers, and the person you hired last week. If they don't share the same values and mission, or don't treat each other with respect, the changes fade and old habits come back.

That's why I look inside the business too. The way your team treats each other is the way they'll treat your customers.

my promise

If everyone, from the owner to the newest hire, treats each other with respect and empathy and shares the same vision, the changes we make will last, and your business will keep moving forward.

Want a team that makes changes stick? Let's talk

Everyone's aligned. The changes last.

Turn a value off to see what happens.

20+

years helping businesses with brand and customer experience

150+

businesses served

1,000+

languages on a global website and app I designed for, including sign languages

About me

20+ years helping businesses say what they mean.

I've spent my career helping businesses explain what they do, make their experiences easier to use, and tell stories customers remember. I work directly with businesses on the two things I care about most: how people see you, and what it's like to do business with you.

When people feel understood, loyalty follows.

  1. 2002

    Co-founded Link Encounter (opens in a new tab) with my sister, Christa.

  2. 2004

    Graduated from the Art Institute of California, then turned down an opportunity from the ad agency Y&R (now VML) to keep building the studio.

  3. Along the way

    Collaborated with and presented to organizations from SB Nation and American Airlines to IBM.

  4. Today

    Brand and customer experience work one on one, here.

FAQ

Straight answers to common questions.

If yours isn't here, just ask.

I don't sell packages, because every business is different. After a free intro call, I send a written proposal within a week with what I'll do, what you'll get, how long it will take and the price. Direction during the fixes is priced separately, so you can start with just the audit. Nothing starts until you agree to it.

Anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. It depends on which audit, the size of your business, and how quickly I get access to what I need, like accounts, files and logins. Your proposal includes an estimated timeline, and we set the dates when we sign.

A good agency can do this work. But the more clients an agency has, the harder it is for you to be its priority. Bigger accounts come first, and the senior person who sold you the project isn't always the one doing the thinking.

I oversee your brand and customer experience myself and take on very few clients, so you're always a priority. I learn your business and what you value, direct the partners who do the hands-on work so the little things are right at every touchpoint, and help your team live the values your customers see. What you're really hiring is more than 20 years of experience you can trust with who you are.

Not because my partners can't do their jobs. Each one is excellent at their part. A designer wants it to look right, a developer wants it to run efficiently, and an SEO specialist wants it to be found. They're all right, and each one pulls a little differently.

My job is to make the parts work together and to keep your values clear at every touchpoint, so customers see who you really are and what you believe in. I turn the plan into clear briefs, set priorities, review the work, and read the results as we test and adjust. That takes more than skill. It takes judgment and taste, built over more than 20 years of seeing both the big picture and the smallest details.

You still make the final calls. I handle the day-to-day direction, so every piece pulls the same way.

A kickoff conversation, access to the accounts and files I need, and short interviews with a few of your customers and team members. Your proposal lists exactly what I'll need.

Me, from the first call to the final check-in. For hands-on work like design, development and SEO, you hire trusted partners I've worked with for years, and I direct them. You'll meet them before any work starts.

Mostly established businesses that have grown, but whose brand or customer experience hasn't kept up. Through Link Encounter (opens in a new tab), I've worked with more than 150 businesses across many industries, from technology companies and wholesalers to salons and real estate teams.

I audit them: how you show up in search, what AI tools say about you, and whether your ads and social pages match your brand. Then I set the strategy and direction. The hands-on work is done by trusted partners, or by whoever runs your marketing now.

Yes, as a tool. It helps me research faster and cover more ground, but it never gets the final say. I personally check everything, along with the trusted people I work with. That's what the handwriting on this site stands for, from the signed initials in my logo to the notes in the margins. A real person's hand is on everything you get.

Contact

How to get started, in three steps.

  1. 1

    Request a free intro call

    Up to 30 minutes. Tell me what's going on and I'll ask a few questions. No cost, no pressure.

  2. 2

    Get a proposal within a week

    In writing: what I'll look at, what you'll get, how long it will take and the price.

  3. 3

    Get started

    We set the dates when we sign, and I get to work.

Prefer email?

I read every message myself and reply with honest next steps.