How B2B Brands Can Scale Relationships with Empathy, AI, and Emotional Precision

From Feature-Focused to Feeling-Focused 

In a sea of feature-heavy messaging, whether it's product specs, service menus, or stacked capabilities, B2B brands are under growing pressure to show up differently. Today’s buyers are navigating tighter budgets and greater uncertainty, and they’re asking deeper questions: Will this make my life easier? Will this partner stick with me? Will I feel prioritized and supported? 

As MarTech points out, proving value beyond features is essential for growth. It means showing relevance, earning trust, and creating experiences that make people feel genuinely understood. 

That’s where marketing comes in. Every interaction is a chance to deepen the relationship and make it last. At Hallmark Business Connections, we help brands do just that: delivering emotional impact through personalized touchpoints, whether it’s celebrating milestones, recognizing life moments, or expressing gratitude. 

That idea took center stage in a recent episode of the B2B Marketing Excellence & AI Podcast, where Donna Peterson, President and Owner of World Innovators, joined Patrick McCullough, President of Hallmark Business Connections. Their conversation unpacked how empathy, automation, and intentional storytelling can help B2B brands stand out and scale emotional connection without losing authenticity. 

This blog brings their insights to life, blending emerging research with lessons from Donna’s experience continuing her family’s legacy at a 44-year-old global B2B marketing agency. These takeaways offer a roadmap to marketing that’s more personal, more purposeful, and more powerful. 

1. Connection Is the New Competitive Edge

In a crowded market, genuine connection is what sets brands apart. Hallmark Business Connections regularly sees this play out—like when a team sent a condolence card to a potential client whose pet had passed away. That small gesture stood out amidst the sales cycle and created a deeply human moment in an otherwise transactional process. 

Patrick summed it up: “If you have a relationship with a company and it’s not just that you provide widgets at a better price—but that I, Patrick, will be here for you—that makes a difference over time.” 

These moments build trust and emotional equity, creating not just clients, but advocates.  

In today’s digital age, that personal, physical communication can make all the difference.  

Donna reiterated this sharing: 

Putting a Hallmark card in someone’s hand ensures that you are on their mind, present and with a positive association.  And that connection? That is your competitive edge.  

2. Automation Doesn’t Kill Empathy—It Can Amplify It

Done right, automation can actually enable deeper connection. “You can absolutely use automation to do the right thing,” Patrick said. “But don’t use it to avoid the work of understanding your audience. Use it to free up time to go deeper.” The CMSWire article, Why B2B Marketing Needs a Rethink, echoes this, stating: “In a world where AI is summarizing and disintermediating our marketing, what needs to happen is we need humans to focus on the things AI can’t summarize and disintermediate — things like understanding customers and markets, building brands that connect emotionally, generating unique, memorable experiences that can’t be summarized, [and] building authentic relationships and community.” At Hallmark Business Connections, new technologies power personalized outreach, enabling our clients to send meaningful touchpoints at scale. It frees up teams to spend more time being human where it matters most. Donna echoed this in her own approach, explaining how tools like ChatGPT and AI research assistants help her move faster without losing her voice. She emphasized that you can’t automate intention and the importance of slowing down to speed up. Reflection and context come first: “AI is a fantastic starting point for brainstorming ideas, structuring campaigns, and changing the tone of content. But authenticity always comes from the human touch.”   

3. The Underrated Power of Brand Story

“You’re not just a company from here—you’re part of here.” That’s the advice Patrick gave to a small business hesitant to lean into their local identity. It paid off. When brands tell their story with pride and consistency, they become more than providers—they become partners. Donna expanded on this with a personal example. Her mother was initially hesitant to promote their company as family-owned. Over the years, that authenticity became a market differentiator. From that, a simple idea bodes true: as beings of community, we resonate with those who can validate our experience. “Share insights, best practices, or even behind-the-scenes stories that show you ‘get’ their world. Your audience will start to say ‘They understand me,’” Donna told us.  Patrick added that the Hallmark brand itself is a story. “When we help brands put the Hallmark wrapper around their message—and make sure it’s the best, most authentic version—it becomes something unforgettable.” Whether you’re a Fortune 100 company or a third-generation industrial supplier, your brand story is your emotional fingerprint. It’s what makes you memorable and shareable.  

4. Simple Ways to Surprise, Delight, and Retain Clients

Surprise and delight doesn’t require a massive budget. Donna and Patrick both champion small, consistent gestures that strengthen relationships over time: 

• Send a handwritten thank-you note after a major project 

• Celebrate client milestones (anniversaries, promotions, product launches) 

• Follow up meetings with a thoughtful Hallmark card 

• Acknowledge life moments, not just work wins 

Donna models this herself. She sends a personal thank-you note to every podcast guest and it’s made a lasting impression.  

It’s not just clients who notice. A recycling company that began sending birthday and anniversary cards to its employees saw the ripple effect in morale and culture. “It has to come from the top,” Patrick explained. “Leadership has to model that relationship-building is a muscle, one you strengthen over time by showing up.” And as Donna pointed out, these small acts often get shared. “Those are the moments people talk about at dinner parties,” she said. From those dinner parties to the first sit-downs with a prospective client, it can start with a connection fostered by that personal touch a Hallmark card can bring. 

5. From Vendors to Valued Partners

In an era where inboxes are saturated and trust is harder to earn, the most impactful B2B brands will be the ones that prioritize empathy, listen actively, and meet people where they are.  

That spirit defines Hallmark Business Connections: unexpected, authentic gestures that strengthen relationships over time. And it’s how today’s B2B brands move from being vendors to valued, unforgettable partners. Those relationships take time to build, but are well worth the effort, Donna told us. “Think about the last time you made a friend; it was probably after several conversations. The same holds true in business. My advice is to stay visible, giving out educational information that will help them do their job better. Give, Give, Give, the sales will come.”  

Learn how Hallmark Business Connections helps brands build meaningful, measurable relationships:

Solutions By Industry  Professional Hallmark Greeting Cards For B2B Relationship-Building 

See the full interviews between Donna Peterson and Patrick McCullough:

Lead with Meaning: A Conversation with Hallmark’s Patrick McCullough  The Secret To Talking Directly To Your Audience!

About Donna Peterson: 

Donna Peterson is the CEO of World Innovators, a B2B family-owned marketing agency with more than four decades of experience in the industry. Her passion for fostering authentic relationships among individuals and businesses is the cornerstone of her success. Donna firmly believes that building strong bonds with employees, vendors and customers is paramount to long-term growth and success.