# Photograph the cards tonight, and write to the right people within two days of the show

Photograph every card the same evening with a line about the conversation, sort the people by what each one asked of you, and write to the ones waiting on you within two days of the show. Look up only the people who matter, then put them in your phone.

A show ends with a pocket of cards and a clock. Promises made at the show carry dates. Here is the week after, in order.

## Step one: photograph every card the same evening

Photograph every card that evening, with the cards laid out on a table. A card holds a name and a number, not the conversation.

Before step one, open Settings and switch on Marrow writes new people to this phone. The switch covers people created afterwards.

Photograph each card, or several cards in one photo, and send them in one message.
After the cards, send one line or a voice note per person that names them: where you met, what they need and what you promised.
Read the reply, which lists each person it saved, and fix a misread name in one line.

A message takes up to 20 photos, and each photo counts against your plan's photo allowance.

## Step two: sort the people by what they asked of you

Next morning, give every person one of three labels. The label sets how fast you write.

| Label | What happened | When to write |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Waiting on you | They asked for something, or you offered it | Within two days of the show, with the thing attached |
| Worth a line | A real talk, nothing owed | Within the week, one specific line and no ask |
| Courtesy | Cards swapped, little said | Connect on a professional network, or let the card go |

Give each promise a date. Say remind me to send Hana the shading study by Friday, and it becomes a follow up you will see on the day.

## Step three: choose who to look up

After several cards, Marrow asks which of them to look up and shows a button for each person. Tap the people who are waiting on you, then Start.

Each lookup counts against your plan (10 a month on Standard), so the courtesy group can wait. One exception: a profile link you give Marrow with one person or a few, such as a QR code on a card, is read straight away and counts as a lookup. You can switch that off in Settings.

## Step four: write on time

Open with where you met, in their words, send what they asked for, and name one next step. The [conference follow up guide](/guides/follow-up-after-a-conference) has the wording, and the [booth message templates](/templates/after-a-trade-show-booth) cover the exhibitor's side. Marrow drafts a message from what you told it, marked not sent, and you send it yourself.

## Step five: put the people in your phone

The switch you turned on before step one writes the people created afterwards to your phone's contacts. A button adds the people already in Marrow. It asks before each one by default, and asks which contacts account to use if your phone has several.

Every number and email goes across with its label, and nothing is removed from your phone. Read [contact sync](/features/contact-sync) for the detail.

## The checklist

You are done when each line below is true.

Every card photographed the same evening, with a line each.
Each person labelled waiting on you, worth a line or courtesy.
Every promise given a date.
Lookups chosen for the people who matter.
People written to your phone’s contacts.

## Where Marrow fits

Marrow is an app on iPhone and Android, in Beta. It reads a card into a person with name, role, company, email, each phone with its label, website and address, and a QR code on the card is read too. A cleaned copy of each photo is kept for 30 days so the chat can show it, then deleted, and the fields stay with the person.

Who should not bother: if you came home with only a few cards, you may not need an app. If the stack is older than the show, the [backlog guide](/guides/business-card-backlog) fits better.

## Related

- [Guides](/guides)
- [How to clear a backlog of business cards](/guides/business-card-backlog)
- [How to follow up after a conference](/guides/follow-up-after-a-conference)
- [Business cards](/features/business-cards)
- [Contact sync](/features/contact-sync)

Last updated 11 October 2026. Canonical: https://usemarrow.com/guides/business-cards-after-a-trade-show