Since WordPress hit the Internet, it has increasingly gained traction as the leading content managing system and blogging platform. Loaded with innovative features, themes and plugins, the system is both reliable and efficient. In addition to supporting basic blogs, forums, review websites and e-commerce sites for business owners, WordPress also has some amazing capabilities that are yet to be explored by many. In fact, most users only scratch the surface of what this CMS can do. The truth of the affair is that by using a couple of plugins and software hacks, WordPress can be tailored to suit a broad range of different functions. Below is a list of little-known WordPress uses that will make you view the CMS is a whole new light.

1. Contact Management

Unlike the poorly structured regular desktop software and online address books, WordPress can be tailored into a personal contact manager and intranet address book. This allows you to save as many contacts as you want in a safe and secure server, with tailored authentication procedures. The great thing about the contact management plugins out there is the additional features that let you tag your contacts so that you can run searches via tags as opposed to the cumbersome groups feature in other applications.

2. Amazon Shopping Platform

Since WordPress has established itself as an E-Commerce solution, partnering with one of the biggest online stores is exactly what you need to take your business to the next step. The most surprising thing here is that most people are still in the dark when it comes to exploiting this part of WordPress. By simply adding a plugin and an Amazon affiliate account to your WP, you can begin selling Amazon products immediately without having to worry about things like stock and inventory.

3. YouTube Syndication

This is one of the least known uses of WordPress that can be turned into a lucrative asset for users with active YouTube channels. By connecting your YouTube account to your WordPress site, you can drive massive amounts of traffic to your website by leveraging the videos on your channel. WordPress users can then make much more money by selling advertisement spots in their videos as well as on their websites sites.

4. Social Networking

The creation of fully fledged social networks is arguably one of the most innovative uses that WordPress has to offer. By using the CMS with BuddyPress, you can turn your site into a social network complete with member profiles, private messaging, notifications, linking and even groups. This allows you to build a strong and flexible online community that will definitely generate traffic to your business.

5. Real Estate

Did you know that you can get access to the real estate markets straight on your WordPress? That’s right; all you need here is a real estate theme that allows properties for sale or rent to appear on Google maps. The CMS makes it possible to filter through a broad range of criterion and even acquire the realtors’ information for contacting purposes.

6. Jobs Board

Thanks to the innovative ingenuity of the Engine Themes team, WordPress users can now launch a job board on their sites. The best themes for this feature are Job Engine and JobPress, which allow you to post paid listings as well as free listings. The most exciting thing about using WordPress for jobs is the front-end controls that render the Dashboard irrelevant.

With all these capabilities and much more, WordPress is evolving into more than just a blogging site. Whatever the future holds in store for WordPress, it is evident that more uses for the system will continue emerging fast.