A stack of business cards collected at a conference usually ends up in a drawer, forgotten within a week, unless something deliberate happens after the exchange. The card itself is only the starting point.
Write a note on the card you receive, immediately
A quick note — what you talked about, where you met, a follow-up idea — jotted right after the conversation preserves context that fades within hours. Without it, a pile of cards a week later is just a pile of names.
Follow up within 48 hours
A short message referencing the specific conversation ("great talking about X at the event") lands far better than a generic connection request days or weeks later when the context has faded for both people.
Give the recipient a reason to actually keep yours
A card that links to something specifically useful (a resource, a relevant portfolio piece) via QR code gives someone a reason to hold onto it beyond just politeness.
Don't hand out cards indiscriminately
Cards given to genuinely relevant contacts, with a real conversation behind them, convert into actual relationships far more often than cards distributed broadly to anyone standing nearby.
Track who you've followed up with
A simple list — even just notes in your phone — of who you've actually reached out to after an event prevents good contacts from quietly slipping through simply because there were too many to track from memory.