I'd advise against moving to banners - harder to track, very dependant on creative/message for the click, etc.
I have been there, done that - PPC is still the best*
*now I qualify - PPC is, IMO, the best route for this stuff, provided:
1 - you do in-depth keyword research to see other terms you might not have, but that mightconvert at lower prices for you
2 - you use the tools for the system and optimize the heck out of each ad, each campaign, etc.
3 - use third party analytics to track clicks, inbound traffic & conversions - use that to compare against the system's results to help point out click fraud
4 - seek the advice of a professional in this area - I'll throw out a plug for FlyingRose - big talent with PPC
In the end, keep in mind - every one of those areas is crowed and competitive - the price of admission may simply be increasing and, soory to say it, it will come to a point where it slacks off and remains viable for some, or simply isn't worth pursuing any more (I mean the verticals you're in here).
HTH
Duane
Damn near forgot - might want to try to get a couple topic-targeted blogs running. Done the right way, blogs seem to be popping to the top in lots of searches organically these days. It's an art unto itself, so if you're not fluent in bloggerese, seek advice.
...and no, blogger.com is not the answer here - I'm talking hosted blogs as sub-domains - they take work, but seem to be proving useful for some folks lately. I'm going to explore this option next week here at work for one of our sites - as a test.
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