RHETORICAL REFLECTION

    I started my initial research with the topic of influencer marketing in mind. Upon further research, I found common study topics such as sponsorship disclosures, psychological resistance to persuasion, and the importance of emotional connections. As I prepare to graduate at the end of the week and plan to pursue a career in public relations and marketing, I thought that this topic would be particularly useful to my goals. Likewise, I was already interested in the topic since I am constantly flooded with influencer advertisements through social media platforms such as Instagram and Youtube. My goal in composing this website was to create a place where people can learn about the basics of influencer marketing, as well as understand why it is so important in the field of marketing. As social media continues to grow, the future of advertising lies in influencer marketing, in my opinion.

During the creation of my website, I focused on creating a well-structured format with easily understandable, yet comprehensive background information and research on influencer marketing. Firstly, the theme I chose was rhetorical. Although Wix offers a wide array of theme templates, I chose the one which was mostly black and white, with clean, crisp fonts and layouts. This would enable the images and visuals to stand out, rather than a complex theme taking an overwhelming focus.     

Furthermore, I was able to create authorial ethos by citing reliable studies. Likewise, I was strategic in including not only scholarly research, but also relatable, engaging examples of influencer marketing. For example, I chose a screenshot from Youtuber James Charles’ video reviewing a foundation product. I knew that I would be presenting this website to the class, as well as possibly including it as a work sample when applying to jobs. James Charles is one of the most popular influencers at the moment, with over 16 million subscribers on Youtube. With this, expect that, both the class and potential employers, will appreciate this example. 

Seeing as this is a digital website, I also wanted to draw on multimodality. I included many images, icons, and various pages to keep the design well organized and engaging. Although Wix does not allow one to paste a Youtube video directly on the site, I included a screenshot of the video and hyperlinked the video link to overcome this obstacle. Overall, I feel that my development of this website is comprehensive and easily digestible.