Digital Fortress platform can save advisers time and money

Peak Advisor Alliance and Faulkner Media Group LLC are partnering to deliver advisers a new virtual coaching and marketing platform called Digital Fortress, the companies announced today. “We figured out what we could automate to dramatically save the adviser time and money,” Peak founder Ron Carson said. “Just like consumers want a single point of access, so too does the adviser.” Digital Fortress provides the adviser with access to Peak's virtual coaching services with Faulkner's diverse set of promotional tools including automated market analysis, website hosting and social-media content — tasks advisers prefer to avoid. “The challenge is that advisers don't have time to be writing to their clients,” said Paul West, managing director at Peak. “We'll do the ghostwriting for advisers so they can appear as experts on the subject,” Mr. Carson said. But the adviser is still required to make some decisions, such as what type of market reports get sent to clients, the content and quantity of their social-media activities, as well as the extent of their automation. One aspect of the Digital Fortress that its founders consider to be invaluable is in compliance. Instead of waiting around for an in-house compliance officer to approve a “buy” recommendation or tweet, Digital Fortress' content is all compliance-approved, according to Craig Faulkner, president and chief executive of Faulkner Media Group. “Even personalized, non-automated content goes through the Digital Fortress platform,” he said. “It's crucial for the compliance process.”