Following the recent appointment of new CEO, Hubert Joly, Best Buy is now beginning its turnaround and attempting to return to its former profitability.  While the retailer initiates its restructuring plan, both Best Buy and Joly remain prominently featured in news headlines, blogs and throughout social media.  Although the public response to Best Buy's management changes has provided the brand with enhanced visibility on the Web, the company must now take measures to monitor and manage its reputation in order to maintain a positive brand image.

Some companies struggle with terms such as "complaints", "reviews", "scams" and "rip-offs", however, those may not be the biggest adversary for a company with the worldwide identity that Best Buy has forged for itself as a leading retailer.  Instead, the primary focus for Best Buy's marketing division should be terms such as "Hubert Joly" and "Best Buy CEO".  These keywords are expected to have a high search volume and any negativity associated with them must be neutralized using reputation management techniques.

An effective strategy for Best Buy to remain reputable during this transitional phase would be the development of a customer engagement plan.  Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive feedback and reviews on their website, blogs and on social networks will boost the brand within the SERPs and help to suppress any potential negativity.

It is essential that the company maintains a positive reputation in the months ahead and a proactive approach is necessary.  Best Buy must implement a "call-to-action" to keep its satisfied consumers while also remaining focused on gaining valuable market share online.

Do you think reputation management will be a key component of Best Buy's restructuring efforts?  Send me your thoughts via email at brymshaw@webimax.com or follow me on Twitter: @brwebimax.