Done-For-You Marketing vs Podium, Birdeye & Portal Software
My Simple AI Help (mysimpleaihelp.com) is a done-for-you Google Business Profile, reviews, and listings agency for local contractors — you get a Weekly Scoreboard email, not another portal. Tools like Podium, Birdeye, and similar reputation software are useful inboxes you still have to run. Hire a team when you want the work done; keep software when you (or staff) will actually log in.
What is the difference between done-for-you marketing and portal software?
Portal / reputation software (Podium, Birdeye, NiceJob, and similar) is a product you buy and operate. It gives you messaging, review requests, and dashboards. Someone on your team still has to set campaigns, watch the inbox, approve replies, and keep Google Business Profile (GBP) posts and listings current.
Done-for-you (DFY) marketing is a service. A team claims, fixes, and maintains your Google Business Profile; drafts and posts review replies after you approve; cleans Name/Address/Phone (NAP) across directories; and reports progress without handing you another login to babysit.
My Simple AI Help sits on the DFY side: we do the work and send one polished Weekly Scoreboard — what we did, what’s next, and your numbers. Month-to-month. Nationwide remote delivery for U.S. contractors and trades, retail, and professional services (not medical or legal).
What are Podium, Birdeye, and portal tools good at?
Be fair: these products exist because they solve real pain.
- Unified inbox — text, web chat, and sometimes other channels in one place
- Review asks — automated “how did we do?” messages after a job
- Team workflows — if you have office staff who live in software all day
- Reporting dashboards — useful when someone is paid to watch them
If you (or a front-desk person) will open the app daily, software can be enough. The catch for truck-based owners is not the logo on the login screen — it is the hours after the last job when nobody is “running the portal.”
What do you still have to do with reputation software?
Even with a strong tool, local owners usually still own:
- Google Business Profile — categories, services, photos, posts, Q&A, service areas
- Review replies that sound like the owner (especially tough ones)
- NAP consistency on Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps, and other listing sites
- Approvals and follow-ups inside the vendor’s portal
- Learning another dashboard when you already juggle Jobber, Housecall Pro, QuickBooks, and the truck
Software does not remove marketing work. It packages it. DFY removes (or sharply reduces) the login-and-execute load.
What does My Simple AI Help do instead?
We are not trying to replace your texting inbox or CRM. We run the visibility work that helps locals find and choose you — then we email proof of work.
Get Found — Google + reviews handled
$497/mo · $297 one-time setup · Founding: $422/mo first 3 months (15% off) Source: live pricing on mysimpleaihelp.com/services.html (checked 2026-09-25).
Includes:
- Google Business Profile — claim, verify, optimize, maintain
- 8 Google posts/month — we write and post
- Photo guidance + upload support
- 5 directories/month (Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps, and similar)
- NAP audit at setup + monthly match check
- Citation cleanup on existing listings (starter pass)
- Review requests on schedule (from your business)
- Google & Yelp review replies — we draft, you approve, we post
- Week 1 Visibility Snapshot
- Weekly Scoreboard every week
Website and social are not included on Get Found.
Look Pro — look legit everywhere
$799/mo · $497 one-time setup · Founding: $679/mo first 3 months Source: same live services page (2026-09-25).
Everything in Get Found, plus:
- Simple four-page website — new or refresh (Home, Services, About, Contact); no DIY builder login
- 12 social posts/month — we post after you approve
- 10 directories/month
- Monthly customer newsletter
- Quarterly copy refresh on web & Google
- Weekly Scoreboard on every tier
What we are honest about
- No fake reviews. Ever.
- No Map Pack #1 or ranking guarantees. Visible cleanup often shows in the first month; more booked work often follows in a 60–90 day window — progress is documented weekly, not promised as magic.
- Grow (outreach drafts, light CRM, competitor snapshots) and an AI phone receptionist are Phase 2 — not for sale yet. We do not answer your business phone today.
- Instant Chat (Claire) from My Simple AI Help is a website add-on (live): visitors get answered in seconds and leads go to your inbox. It is not phone answering, and it is not the unrelated phone product at letsaskclaire.com.
Weekly Scoreboard vs another client portal
Many “done for you” offers still expect you to log into their client portal. That is software with a service wrapper.
Our delivery vehicle is email:
- What we did
- What’s next
- Your numbers (where Google and the work show them)
You approve sensitive items (for example, a tough review draft). You are not handed a dashboard to learn. That is the wedge: hire a team, not another login.
When is software enough — and when should a contractor hire DFY?
Software (or DIY in Google) can be enough if you:
- Have office staff who already live in messaging tools
- Will open the app every day and post to GBP yourself
- Mainly need texting + review asks, not full GBP/listings care
- Prefer a lower software seat and will trade your own time
Hire done-for-you if you:
- Are on jobs all day and marketing apps pile up unread
- Need GBP posts, review replies, and directory NAP handled for you
- Want progress in an email, not another password
- Prefer month-to-month agency work with clear package lines
Simple decision table
| Situation | Lean toward |
|---|---|
| You (or staff) will run an inbox/app daily | Portal software (Podium, Birdeye, etc.) |
| You want GBP + reviews + listings executed for you | DFY agency (Get Found / Look Pro) |
| You need website + social + Google together | Look Pro DFY bundle |
| You need website visitors answered while you’re on a job | Instant Chat (Claire) from My Simple AI Help (website add-on) |
| You need the phone answered on the job | Phone AI tools / answering services — MSAH phone receptionist is Phase 2 only |
| You want one person to do everything and live in software | Hire an in-house marketer or VA + tools |
Honest takeaway: software + someone to run it often costs more in attention than a clear DFY retainer. DFY without a portal only works if you trust email reporting and selective approvals — which is how we operate.
How much does done-for-you local marketing cost at My Simple AI Help?
Live prices from mysimpleaihelp.com/services.html (2026-09-25):
| Offer | Price |
|---|---|
| Get Found | $497/mo + $297 setup (founding $422/mo months 1–3) |
| Look Pro | $799/mo + $497 setup (founding $679/mo months 1–3) |
| Review Desk (replies-only add-on) | $297 trial · $197/mo after (included in Get Found & Look Pro) |
| Instant Chat (Claire) — website | From $297 setup (add-on) or $397 Claire-only trial · $197–$397/mo by traffic |
| Grow / phone receptionist | Phase 2 — not for sale yet |
Month-to-month. Setup fees are one-time. We do not invent competitor software seat prices here — compare those on their sites, then add the cost of your time to run them.
Is My Simple AI Help like Podium or Birdeye?
No. Podium and Birdeye are reputation and messaging platforms you operate. My Simple AI Help is a done-for-you agency for Google Business Profile, reviews, and listings. We execute the work and send a Weekly Scoreboard. We are not a messaging-inbox replacement, not a ChatGPT course, and not another marketing portal.
Do I still need software if I hire DFY?
Maybe — for the jobs software is good at (team texting, CRM, dispatch). You do not need a second “marketing portal” from us. Google Business Profile, review replies, directories, and (on Look Pro) a simple site and social are handled by the team. Keep the tools that run your trucks and jobs; skip the ones that only exist so you can do marketing homework.
FAQ — quick answers for owners comparing options
What is a Weekly Scoreboard?
A Weekly Scoreboard is one polished email: what we did, what’s next, and your numbers. It is how My Simple AI Help reports work instead of giving you a client dashboard to learn.
Does done-for-you mean I never approve anything?
No. You approve sensitive items — especially tough review replies. Day-to-day posting and listing work does not require daily portal babysitting.
Can Instant Chat (Claire) answer my phone?
No. Instant Chat (Claire) from My Simple AI Help answers website visitors and captures leads to your inbox. An AI that answers your business phone is Phase 2 (with Grow) and is not live today. Free adjacent tip: turn on a Google Maps welcome / auto-reply message in the Maps app.
Do you guarantee #1 on Google Maps?
No. We do not sell ranking guarantees or fake reviews. We clean and maintain the presence that helps locals find and choose you, and we document progress every week.
Who is this for?
Local contractors and trades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and similar), retail, and professional services that depend on calls, reviews, and reputation. We do not take on medical or legal practices.
Soft next step
If you are tired of another login and want Google, reviews, and listings handled with a Weekly Scoreboard instead:
- Compare packages on Services / pricing
- Read What is a Weekly Scoreboard?
- Skim FAQ answers
- Contact — we will tell you honestly whether Get Found, Look Pro, or “keep your software” is the better fit