The best way to “produce results faster” is to evaluate your current efforts and determine points of optimization. A/B test your existing messaging to see if you can squeeze more conversions out of your existing leads. Lead generation won’t mean much if you don’t have an effective way to convert those leads.

Long tail keywords are certainly a good place to start. Make sure your messaging on your site supports leads obtained through long tail keywords. If you are targeting an audience that is primed to purchase, you need to keep them primed as they move through your site.

I worked in a niche, enterprise software company for quite some time and ran into a similar dilemma. You're right that you will never win a bidding war against established players. That leaves you with 2 options. 1) Fight them where they are not or 2) Fight them where budget isn't a determining factor.

1) Fight them where they are not
Identify partners that are already providing value to your target audience. Determine how you can provide a joint value proposition with the partner to the customer. Sponsor content on their blogs / websites / events. Arm the partners with all the materials possible so they can generate and convert leads for you.

Leads generated by a trusted partner will greatly shorten your sales cycle. In my experiences, we observed 6+ month cycles without a partner involved and a <1 month cycle with partners involved.

2) Fight them where budget isn't a determining factor.
User groups or meetups are a great way to get in front of niche audiences. Attendees are more qualified than any keyword driven campaign can accomplish. Additionally, these meetups are typically less saturated by bigger players. It is your chance to become the voice of the people, rather than just another vendor.

The same logic applies for online forums. Obviously, forums are a collection of similarly motivated people. Identify the right forums and inject genuine content while engaging in other users’ content. If you have the time and ability to participate you will quickly become a thought leader in the niche. This is one of the lowest budget steps you can take to grow and convert quality leads.

Like I mentioned, I spent a long time in this niche software and spent a long time spinning my wheels. Fortunately I had enough time to experiment and implement strategies that yielded success. Hopefully this advice can help you shortcut the process!