One of the programs that I use is Linkmachine.
This has been recommended by a couple of Google Search Engine experts.
It FULLY automates your backlinks. It's been great to me.
over and above I use my own piece of software
www.urlsubmitters.com
It links my site to over 1000 category directories and does monthly search engine submissions automatically.
Backlinks, and search engine submissions that is the key.
Good luck with your efforts. It takes time and patience. I spend over 16 hours each day trying to get
www.rebelnetworks.com up in the rankings...it's not easy