netmoney1,
i still think you should analyze your competition more.. Even though those sites may look crappy to you, they are ranking, and there must be a reason for that.
I'd analyze their backlink profiles, social media shares (tweets, likes and the like), the amount of user generated content they have, the kind of content they have, the anchor texts they're using.
Here is the tool i normally use to see competitor's bls http://www.link-assistant.com/seo-spyglass/ the free version will let you see just a portion, but you can still draw conclusions out of that.
Also, make your seo efforts as diverse as you can, don't use the same anchor text over and over again. Don't repeat the same keyword over and over again, use synonyms. There was a good thread here on bhw about how to diversify your anchor texts:
http://www.blackhatworld.com/blackhat-seo/black-hat-seo/424148-guide-dealing-over-optimization-sky-isnt-falling.html
besides, keep in mind that one quality backlink is usually worth many a crappy backlink. Some folks here have recommended forum posting, blog commenting, press release marketing, article marketing, guest blogging, etc. Go for it, especially as you can write well and fast. But pick better blogs, directories and forums over low-quality ones, and better spend more time working on them, than commenting on hundreds of web 2.0 properties and getting little to no result.
There are many do-follow blog, forum and directory lists here on bhw. For example, http://www.blackhatworld.com/blackhat-seo/blackhat-lounge/351501-150-do-follow-forums-page-ranking-niche-free.html.
Again, good luck
